


Small Problems

by TyChou



Series: Small Problems [1]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Action/Adventure, Autobots are smol, Domestic Shenanigans, Fluff, Gen, but shit also gets real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 22:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 75,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17733635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyChou/pseuds/TyChou
Summary: Megatron has a weapon that shrinks Autobots, leaving them two and a half feet tall and very far from home.





	1. Day One: Ambush Awry

 

****Small Problems** **

 

**By: Ty-Chou**

**Day One: Ambush Awry**

 

 

 

“Prime, I think this is what we’ve been waiting for,” Prowl announced from his computer station. “I’ve got a large group of Decepticons mobilizing. They're on the move, headed east.”

Optimus Prime moved instantly to the side of his second-in-command, looking intently at the screen. It was indeed what they were waiting for. For the past several months, Deceptions had been raiding and stealing high tech parts from top developmental labs all over the globe. What they were attempting to make, none of the Autobots could guess. Even Wheeljack was stumped. Without an idea as to their enemy's intentions, it was difficult to predict where they would hit next.

Prowl kept the base on high alert for weeks, sending out teams where he could in attempt to catch the thieves in the act. Most missions proved unfruitful, the Decepticons always one step ahead. But now they were overtly moving en masse, something was up.

“What’s their destination, Prowl?”

“Its hard to say at the moment, but unless they’re crossing the ocean, my guess would be somewhere near the east coast of the United States. They’re either going somewhere big, like New York, or they want some place secluded; maybe in Canada.”

Optimus took a moment to consider. “Either way, Megatron’s on the other side of the country. We need to follow now if we want to catch him before he can finish whatever it is he's up to.”

“Roger that, Prime.”

Optimus opened his com-link to his other second. “Jazz.”

“Right here, Prime,” Jazz said as he walked into the room. Perfect timing as always. “What do ya need?”

“We need a squad assembled now. Prowl, radio Skyfire and tell him to be ready at the base ASAP. Jazz, organize a team.”

Jazz rubbed his chin in thought. “That's a tall order, Prime. We’ve sent a lot of teams out to respond to Decepticon activity already. They're scattered across the globe. I could probably grab Wheeljack, Ironhide and Blaster.”

Optimus looked at him. “That’s all?”

Jazz shrugged. “Ratchet's here, too. But that’s about it.”

“Ratchet stays,” Optimus decided. “Tell him he’s in charge while we’re gone. Jazz, Prowl, you’re coming with me.”

“Sir,” Prowl acknowledged as he stood.

The doors hissed as another, much larger body came into the control room. His massive form loomed over the Prime.

“There going to be a fight?” Grimlock demanded as he stomped in. “Me Grimlock want to fight Decepticons, too!”

Normally Optimus didn't want a bot like Grimlock to come on such a mission where they had no idea what was in store for them. But being as how he was terribly short-handed for this battle, he could use any able body that showed up.

“That’s fine. Grimlock, where are the other Dinobots?”

Grimlock thought about it for a while and then shrugged. “Dunno. Me Grimlock not their creator.”

“Fine,” Optimus surrendered. Now wasn’t the time to argue. They needed to get in the air. “Jazz, Prowl, please inform Ratchet of our departure and assemble whomever you can find. Grimlock and I will meet you in the hanger.”

Both seconds saluted and hurried off to fulfill the task given them. Neither one envied their leader and his job of baby-sitting Grimlock while he waited.

* * *

 

 

Minutes later, Jazz had everyone assembled: Ironhide, Wheeljack and Blaster. Optimus never failed to be impressed with how well Jazz knew who was where inside the Ark. It probably came with the fact that he constantly visited with everyone.

Ratchet was present as well, arms folded over his chest and not looking too happy. "Something isn’t right, Prime. This feels too deliberate. I think the Decepticons know how short handed we are right now. That's why they're openly making their move."

"Probably," Optimus nodded. "But we still have to go. Who knows what the Decepticons will do if we don't."

"I can send a second group after you as soon as they start showing up."

"Wait until you hear from me. I'm already wary of the fact there's no one left to guard the base. As soon as we figure out what Megatron's after, we may send Skyfire back to pick up reinforcements. For now, just wait for further instruction."

Ratchet nodded, still not looking to happy with it all. "Okay Prime, just be sure to keep me--"

"Hurry Optimus or me Grimlock go without you!"

The Dinobot leader was already aboard the landed Skyfire and shaking his fist impatiently at them. Optimus threw a long suffering look at his medic-turned-base commander. Ratchet was not sympathetic.

* * *

 

 

A flight from Oregon to the East Coast usually took about eight to nine hours using normal commercial planes. Skyfire made it in four. It was still too long for Optimus. He could easily tell Prowl didn't like the delay either.

The second was sitting more ridged than usual, watching his scanning equipment like a hawk. Three hours previous, it had been confirmed that New York City was the Decepticons' destination. That meant Megatron had at least three hours to prepare for his plan. That didn't sit well with Optimus at all.

The rest of his crew weren't too happy either. Wheeljack and Ironhide were trying to get Grimlock to stop pacing around and asking "When me Grimlock get there?" every five minutes. They weren't doing a good job of it.

Jazz was plugged into a transformed Blaster and both were drowning out the bickering with music.

Prowl, no doubt, had been able to tune out everything, keeping full attention on his equipment. Optimus envied his talent to do that.

"We're coming up on the city," Skyfire's voice announced.

"Roger that," Prowl replied. "We're getting Decepticon signatures strong now." He paused. "Megatron knows we're coming. We've got seekers heading straight for us."

"Skyfire, start descending!" Optimus ordered. "We're sitting ducks up here! We need to get on the ground!"

"Let me go a little further Optimus," Skyfire insisted. "I don't even have any Decepticons on radar yet. I can--"

He was cut off, outer hull peppered with laser fire. The jet shuttered from the attack.

"What in the name of Primus is attacking us?" Ironhide demanded as he stumbled around.

"There's a seeker signature above us," Prowl reported.

"Must be Skywarp," Jazz jumped in, now fully paying attention. "No one else could sneak up on us that fast."

"Skyfire, take us down! Now!" Optimus ran over to the jet's hanger and opened it. Hanging by the rim, he leaned out and fired his blaster at the black and purple jet. Skywarp fell back from the volley and then disappeared.

Skyfire jerked again as he was hit. This felt a lot worse than the first one.

"He got one of my engines!"

The Autobots felt the jet losing power as they descended faster.

"Brace for impact everyone!" Optimus commanded.

All aboard quickly moved to grab something solid. Grimlock's idea of bracing himself was turning into his dinosaur form.

Despite Skyfire’s best efforts, the jet went down fast with a fusillade of laser fire following him all the way. He fought to keep his nose up, but the belly scraped roughly as it hit the earth, tearing up the ground like a trowel. Autobot bodies were thrown every which way at the circuit-jarring landing. Skyfire slid for several yards before coming to a stop, one engine smoking heavily.

Inside, the scattered bodies began to come to life.

"Ugh... everyone in one piece?" Optimus called as he pulled himself to his feet.

Jazz relaxed from where he was curled around the orange Autobot tape player. "We're good over here," he called, holding Blaster above his head.

In response, Blaster transformed into robot mode and pulled Jazz to his feet.

"All systems seem to be functional over here, Prime," Prowl called from where he was sitting. "Wheeljack?" He turned to the scientist sitting next to him.

"I'll survive," Wheeljack confirmed.

A piece of paneling suddenly sparked as it fell loose, landing between them. The two flinched.

"All functional over here, too, Prime," Ironhide called from the back. "Grimlock, however..." He gazed with derision at the large, robotic dinosaur whose head had gone right through the side of the plane. His back end flailed around as he fought to get free.

"Okay, get him out of there," Optimus said tiredly. "Skyfire, what's your status?"

"Not good," beeped the jet's control panel. "One engine is out of commission completely, another at 35%. And I don't think I can transform. I'm stuck here."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Optimus mumbled.

"Skywarp's coming back," Prowl called as he watched the radar.

"Everyone out!" Optimus ordered. "Take down that seeker!"

Jazz, Blaster and Prowl exited with their leader, weapons ready.

"Me Grimlock get flying Decepticon," Grimlock said, his head still sticking out of Skyfire's hull. He stretched his neck skyward and spat fire as Skywarp came into view.

"Ya big metal idjit!" Ironhide barked from inside, trying to pull Grimlock by the tail. "Ya can't do it that way. Get yer head outta there!"

Wheeljack jumped in to help grab the Dinobot's squirming back end. Grimlock's tail kept thrashing this way and that in his excitement and both Autobots found themselves flung against the wall.

"Ya just had to make dinosaurs, didn't ya?" Ironhide grouched at the inventor.

"I still stand by my decision that it was a good idea!" Wheeljack insisted.

Outside, Skywarp circled to get another shot at the downed Autobots. He was met with a barrage of return fire from his enemies. One shot damaged the back rudder, causing him to wobble.

"Skywarp to Megatron," he radioed, "I've been hit. Request permission to return."

The voice of the Decepticon leader crackled back at him. "Are the Autobots down?"

"Yes sir! Mission complete."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, that Autobot Skyfire is a smoking scrap heap. They'll not be flying any time soon."

"Good. Then return, Skywarp. We have to prepare. Megatron out."

The black and violet seeker acknowledged the order and then teleported out of the immediate sky space. Stillness followed.

"Is it over?" Jazz asked, using Blaster as a shield.

"Dude, that ain't cool!' Baster complained, pushing him away.

"Hey," Jazz insisted with a grin, "Who hit Skyfire? You were covering me so I could shoot 'im down. It was a team effort."

Optimus ignored the bickering as he looked toward the sky. "It's odd that Megatron only sent one Decepticon after us and then retreated so quickly."

"His objective was probably to ground Skyfire," Prowl said pragmatically. "Which he did. For some reason, Megatron wants us to come by land."

"Well he's going to get it," Optimus confirmed. "We may not have any other choice.” He turned his attention to the massive jet. “Skyfire, are you sure you can't transform?”

The jet shuttered with effort, but all his pieces stayed in place. “I'm afraid I'm stuck. Sorry, Prime.”

“You did fine,” Optimus assured him with a pat on the jet's nose. “The rest of us will take it from here. Autobots, lets find a safe place for Skyfire.”

It was nearly an hour later by the time the Autobots managed to tow the massive jet to some place with cover. They found a hollow in a small hill which fit about half of Skyfire's size; then they grabbed foliage from near by trees to try and cover the rest of him.

"I don't know how well this will work." Prowl frowned at their sloppy job.

"It will have to do,” Optimus insisted. "I don't like how much time we're giving Megatron to prepare." He opened his communicator to Teletraan-1. "Optimus to base."

"This is Ratchet. What's the situation, Prime?"

"We were attacked by a Decepticon. Skyfire is down and badly needs repairs. I'm sending you his coordinates. We're going to have to continue on without him. Please send a rescue party for him."

There was a pause on the other end.

"I still don't have anything to work with Prime. As soon as someone shows up, I’ll send them out to retrieve him. That’s the best I can offer right now."

"Understood. Just do what you can. I'll keep you updated on the situation. Optimus out." He terminated the link and then looked at the remainder of his team.

"Alright Autobots," he announced, pointing at the horizon, “to the city."

* * *

 

 

Megatron stood as Skywarp teleported into the air space above. The black and purple jet transformed as he slowly descended. The terrain was far too uneven for him to land in his alternate mode.

Their temporary base was an abandoned construction site. Only very recently abandoned, thanks to the work of the Constructicons chasing off the crew. Normally, Megatron wouldn’t have bothered ridding any future battle site of humans. The deaths of such lowly creatures never concerned him before. However, he knew the Autobots. If they saw any of those pathetic organics around, they would use caution. And Megatron’s plan counted on the Autobots rushing them with a full force attack.

"Report Skywarp. What's the Autobot's status?"

"Skyfire is down, Megatron. The Autobots are proceeding by road. I counted seven total. Five vehicles, also Blaster and the Dinobot leader."

Megatron rubbed his broad chin in thought. That was about the number he expected with how thin he had purposefully spread the Autobot forces. But of all the scenarios he came up with, none involved any of the Dinobots; one of the Autobot's last lines of defense. Perhaps Optimus was already getting desperate.

"No matter," Megatron said out loud, “the result will be the same. As soon as those Autobots show themselves, their fates will be sealed."

Skywarp grinned at the thought and Megatron braced himself for the usual counter point that would follow.

 _So you say MIGHTY Megatron. But you have made this promise several times before._ Sarcasm in a high-pitched voice was what Megatron expected to hear. Then possibly a jab as to the dubious position of his leadership after so many failures. But instead, Megatron received only silence. Curious, the Decepticon leader turned his head to the red and white seeker, standing against a building with arms folded.

"Nothing to add, Starscream? Usually this is the part where you give us your input--after all the real work has been done."

"Continue as you see fit, Leader," was Starscream's cryptic reply. "We shall see how it goes."

Megatron eyed the seeker suspiciously. It wasn’t often the he passed up a chance to call the Megatron on any past failures and further promote his own ideals as leader. But this time, not only was Starscream silent, he seemed very much disinterested in the plan at hand. Which also was odd for him. Next to criticizing his leader, Starscream’s second favorite pastime was increasing Autobot casualties. The opportunity to do either did not tantalize him this time.

Something to wonder about another day. The Autobots were coming.

“Very well. Just make sure you do your part, Starscream.”

“Yes, Leader,” Starscream responded again, not moving.

Megatron wasn’t the only one who had noticed Starscream’s odd behavior. As Thundercracker approached his fellow seeker, Starscream paid him just as little mind as he had Megatron.

“What are you plotting, Starscream?” Thundercracker accused. “You seem very distracted today.”

Starscream frowned. Thundercracker had an annoying habit of asking him what he was doing out of the blue. This time was no less irritating. Starscream chose his words carefully.

“It feels like something is going to happen.”

“Of course something is going to happen, we’re setting a trap, Starscream,” Thundercracker retorted.

When the red seeker didn’t reply, Thundercracker tried again.

“Okay, what is going to happen then?”

“Change,” Starscream said simply.

“Change?” Thundercracker repeated.

“Change.”

“... _CHANGE_?!”

Starscream growled as he shoved his null ray into his comrade’s face. “You’re getting on my nerves, Thundercracker,” he warned.

The blue seeker instantly raised his hands in defense. “Point taken.”

Starscream continued to frown, but slowly lowered his weapon.

Thundercracker was about to move to a safer spot, but decided to try his luck one more time.

“This change, Starscream, is it good or bad?”

Starscream gazed toward the horizon and frowned at the strange wind his sensors were picking up around him.

“I’m still deciding.”

"Hey Megatron," Rumble called to his leader. "Don't you think we should do a test run before the Autobots get here? You know, just to make sure it's working?"

Megatron eyed the tiny Decepticon that barely went up to his knee. Apparently Starscream wasn't the only one acting odd that day.

"Another test? We ran one at the base. What is the point of another one?"

Before Rumble could respond, Frenzy came to back him up.

"Yeah, cuz, you know, we transported it a long way. It would be good to make sure nothing... got damaged or anything."

Megatron looked at the two oddly fidgety tapes as he considered the suggestion. Perhaps they had a point. This close to possibly the last fight the Autobots would ever see, it may be best to err on the side of caution.

"Very well. Soundwave, bring forth one of the attack drones."

"As you command, Megatron," Soundwave warbled. He pressed a button on his chest. Beside him, a pile of scrap metal transformed into a robot. It stood there mindlessly, waiting for further instructions.

"Observe," Megatron announced, always eager for a flare of drama.

He had been standing guardedly over a large, silver cannon for some time now. Megaton hefted it onto his shoulder and aimed at the drone, pulling the trigger. A blue light shot from the weapon, enveloping the mindless machine. The robot’s optic visor flickered, almost as if it were aware of the danger, and then went out. For a moment, the robot stood still and then crumbled apart. All the individual pieces fell to the ground, lifeless; dead.

Megatron threw his head back and laughed. "This will be your fate, too, Optimus Prime! I will suck the energy from your very spark and you will fall into scrap at my feet! Then I'll go for the rest of your Autobots and they will be no more before the mighty Megatron!"

He raised his fists to the air and the rest of his Decepticons cheered.

Rumble and Frenzy exchanged relieved expressions and joined in.

"Megatron!" Skywarp announced. "The Autobots are approaching!"

"This is it, Decepticons!" Megatron bellowed. "Get into formation and wait for my signal!"

The Decepticons all moved into their assigned positions, strategically placed to box in the Autobots when they arrived. Then, as best as they could, the large robots hid themselves amidst the partial construction. Skywarp, the one who had shot down the Autobots, was the bait. He clearly stood amongst the rubble, fully armed and ready to fight.

As Megatron predicted, the Autobots saw the seeker and picked up speed, throwing caution to the wind and attacking without restraint. The convoy barreled into the site and the rest of the Decepticons made themselves known. The Autobots were suddenly surrounded, their enemies attacking on all sides with full force.

It was then Prime's group realized their mistake. They were too eager to find out what the Decepticons were up to. They should have been more cautious. They should have realized Megatron was waiting for them.

The sound of firing weapons pierced the air from all sides. The rest was a blur.

* * *

 

 

Crystal Carlisle left the gym out the back door; it was closer to the bus stop. She hiked her bag higher on her shoulder and stepped out into the night air. It was after dark. She shouldn't have waited so long to head home. Her mother wouldn't have approved of her being out this late, alone in this part of the city.

But Crystal didn't live with her mother any more. Not for a couple years now. And maybe she was a strong enough woman not to worry about what sort of dangers could skulk in the shadows. Or maybe she didn't care if any danger did find her.

Walking through the back alley, she heard voices up ahead. She paused momentarily before realizing the voices, though male, didn't sound all that old. Just teenagers hanging around.

Near the mouth of the alley, she saw two boys, looking no older than fourteen, talking excitedly while they fidgeted around a large dumpster. Every once in while, one would kneel down and shove a stick at whatever was beneath it.

Crystal sighed. Boys will always be boys.

"What are you doing?" she asked the two teens.

"There's something freaky under there!" one of the boys said to her. "I think we should call animal control."

"I think you should just leave the poor thing alone,” she said. “It's just a regular animal and you're scaring it. Let it go."

"Nu uh!" The other boy insisted. "It's not a cat or a dog. I dunno what it is, but it burned me!"

"You mean it bit you," Crystal clarified.

"No, I mean it _burned_ me."

She paused and, in the silence, Crystal heard a low growl coming from beneath the dumpster. There was definitely something under there.

"Listen boys, just go home and leave it alone. There's got to be something better to do with your time than this."

The teenagers frowned at being talked down to.

"Screw you, lady! I'm calling to cops!" one of them retorted. "Since you're too stupid to believe us!"

Crystal frowned as she pulled out her cell phone. "I believe the police is a great idea. Then they can help you call your parents and you can explain what you've been doing in the back alleys after dark."

The boys had a few more colorful phrases for her, but then retreated into the night at the mention of parents and their late-night escapades.

Crystal watched them go and then sighed as she put her phone back in her pocket. "Teenagers, they're such a pain in the ass.”

Setting down her gym bag, she crouched to her knees. She wanted to follow her own advice and leave the poor creature alone, but first she had to make sure whatever was hiding there hadn't been injured. As she pressed her face to the ground, she squinted in the dim light. Something shifted in the darkness, but it was difficult to tell what it was. Crystal decided to take a guess.

"Hey, you okay under there?" she asked in a friendly voice. "Come out where I can see you. Come on, kitty, kitty."

The creature growled out a noise Crystal had never heard from an animal before. Then she gasped as the darkness lit up by two glowing eyes.

* * *

 

 

 _Run._ That was all he could process at the moment. It was such an odd concept to him. _Run for your life._

Not that fleeing from a stronger adversary was new to Prowl. The way of battle, advance and retreat, was the natural ebb and flow of warfare. But this never happened before. The tide never turned this quickly and he had never been so at a loss at what to do next. He had never fled for his life on two feet, unable to transform into his faster vehicle mode.

He couldn't transform while carrying Blaster with him--at least, the unresponsive form of Blaster in his radio mode. Something that would not have normally hindered Prowl in any way. But Prowl and Blaster's radio mode were not normally about the same size.

The radio's big and bulky form made it quite difficult to run. But Prowl couldn't leave his comrade behind. Blaster’s death would be assured if their pursuers ever found him. It was up to Prowl to keep him safe, or die trying.

Rounding a corner, he crouched in the shadows, hoping to buy himself some time to think. The whole ordeal occurred hours ago and he had been running ever since. It was still hard to believe how it all fell apart so fast.

The Autobots all knew it was some sort of trap when they went into it. It always was. Megatron had been planning this for months. What kind of trap was the question. There was no other way to find out but to jump into the fray, guns blazing. Prowl transformed to root mode the second he felt something was off, blaster in hand. All around them, the lifeless rubble transformed into Megatron's drones. They were the first wave to attack. Though hardly as deadly as the Decepticons themselves, effective enough to distract from the real danger.

The first wave of drones barely launched their assault when Megatron showed himself, waving around a large silver cannon, much more impressive than his usual arm cannon, and screaming for Optimus Prime like a banshee. Before anyone could react, Megatron fired. Optimus quickly grabbed the nearest drone, using it as a shield. It took the hit and lost all power, falling apart in Optimus's hands.

Every Autobot stopped and stared as their sparks flickered with fear. Megatron didn't have a mere weapon, he had a death machine.

The moment Prowl saw it, he knew what he had to. His analytical mind took only a microsecond to process Megatron's plan. He was going to take that killing machine and systematically wipe out the Autobots until they all ceased to exist. That plan completely depended on the success of this attack. Prowl had to stop it.

That day, it was mid afternoon and Megatron purposefully placed himself in front of the sun. Another brilliant move on his part, Prowl had to admit. He did his best to filter the glare from the sun as he aimed. Then, Prowl did something he hadn't done in quite some time. He prayed as he pulled the trigger.

He aimed for the weapon itself, hoping to damage it. From the sound Megatron made when he was shot, however, Prowl surmised he hit Megatron's hand instead. The weapon flew away from the Decepticon leader and clanked heavily against the wall. Megatron looked at Prowl. Prowl looked at Megatron. Both of them raced for the weapon.

Prowl heard Jazz screaming at him not to do it. Megatron was far closer. He would get the weapon first. But Prowl was still going to try. At the very least, he would be able to buy some time for his friends, even if it cost him his own life.

Just as predicted, Megatron reached the weapon first. He snatched it up, sliding on his back and aiming for Prowl. The police car lunged for him as Megatron fired. The shot rang true and Prowl was covered in a blue light. His body fell as Megatron rose to his feet and began firing on the other Autobots without mercy.

Strangely, after Prowl was hit, he was still aware of what was going on. The laser had hit him straight on; so why wasn't he dead? Why could he still hear the battle? Why could he still see Megatron firing at his team? Why wasn't he a lifeless pile of parts yet? And why... was everything suddenly so much bigger?

Prowl rolled behind a pile of dirt and bricks, tall enough to block most everything from view. Amazed that he was still alive, he crawled to the top. Wondering how a pile that big to be so tall, he peeked over it. Most of the firing had stopped. The Decpeticons were just standing around; a few looked bewildered. There wasn't a single Autobot in sight, or were there any lifeless Autobot pieces to be found.

Then Prowl noticed one Autobot still on the field.

Blaster was wrestling with Soundwave. The Decepticon was on top, then Blaster got the upper hand and grabbed Soundwave's head. Then, for the oddest reason, Blaster suddenly bolted away. Soundwave sat up, appearing quite angry for an expressionless bot. He leveled his weapon at the fleeing Blaster and shot him square in the back. Blaster gave a soundless cry as his body instantly folded up on itself and a normal sized radio hit the ground.

Prowl wasted no time. The shot must have hit Blaster's transformation cog. The black and white Autobot transformed as Soundwave stalked toward his inert friend. Prowl's speed hardly seemed as impressive as it used to be. What was going on?

Just as Soundwave was about to crush the Autobot radio with his massive foot, Prowl lunged and snatched Blaster out of harm’s way. That was when Prowl felt the full reality of his situation. Blaster’s small radio mode was only about half his size and Soundwave looked as tall as a mountain. Megatron's cannon hadn't killed the Autobots, it had reduced their size.

Prowl had no choice. He could not fight back in his current state. Even one Decepticon was too big for him to take on, and there were many coming after them. He couldn't fit Blaster in his car mode any more. He had no choice but to grab the radio's handle and run for his life.

He had been running ever since.

The tall spires of the cityscape now felt more like Cybertron than Earth ever had before as Prowl ducked into back allies and dark pathways. Only he didn't know this city, he didn't know where he was going. He fought the panic setting in as he ran.

It was after dark now; hours since he had first given flight, but Prowl didn't dare stop. He knew he was still being hunted. Even though his heated joints complained and his power reserves were getting low, resting was not an option. To stop meant death– both his and Blaster’s. No matter how much his body protested, Prowl couldn't give up yet.

He dashed down another alleyway, trying to keep to the shadows. The silent radio clanged against his side. Prowl had to do something. He couldn’t run all night. He had to take a stand somewhere; he had to think. But before he could come up with a course of action, he found himself face to face with a dead end.

In front of him was sheer building wall that seemed to reach up to the sky. There was no where to go. He turned to run back out, but a dark shadow with glowing red eyes blocked his escape.

Ravage.

The metal panther was now taller than Prowl and easily twice as large. He growled and Prowl could see the sharp teeth of those powerful jaws shining in the dim light. If those fangs got a hold of him, it would be all over.

As Ravage stalked toward him, Prowl pulled out his weapon and readied himself. He fired and Ravage leapt out of the way, right toward him. Prowl pulled the trigger again and missed. He was so tired, his aim was failing. Ravage was going to get his prey.

A second barrage of fire hit the metal cat on the side of the head and he stumbled back. Between Prowl and the Decepticon landed a pint-sized Jazz, smiling in triumph.

“Ha! Didn’t like that at all, did ya?” Jazz scoffed. “Now try some of _this,_ Ravage!” His hip compartments opened, revealing two large speakers. Though also smaller than his usual size, Jazz still managed to emit a powerfully high sonic scream.

Ravage shrieked as the sound bombarded his super-sensitive hearing. The robotic cat yowled and writhed in pain and then took off like a shot from the alley.

Jazz smirked, brushing off his hands. "That takes care of that," he announced.

"Jazz?"

He turned around to see an exhausted Prowl. The two eyed each other. Both where the same size; roughly two and a half feet tall.

"What happened to us?"

"Slag if I know," Jazz responded.

"And that," said Frenzy as he stepped into the alley, “is the least of your problems." The mini cassette was now three times as tall as the Autobots and he pointed his blaster at them. "So you got the best of Ravage, but you won't get the best of me, _puny_ Autobots!" He laughed at himself for finally being able to use the term. "Prepare to meet the creator."

He slowly squeezed the trigger.

There was a deep thunk as something heavy hit Frenzy in the back of the head, knocking him over. Before Prowl or Jazz knew what was going on, Blaster was snatched up by the taller form and a voice screamed "RUN!" The Autobots didn't need to be told twice. They both transformed and sped blindly after their savior.

The three fled through the twists and turns of the back alleyways. Every once in a while, they passed under a street lamp and the Autobots would get a glimpse of the person they were following. It was a human: tall, thin. Most likely female. A long shock of hair glittered in the light, the color of apricots.

Their leader zipped down another alley and slid under a pile of boxes and garbage bags.

"This way," the human urged and the two Autobots did as they were told before they transformed into robot mode, ready for action. The human reached out and pulled on a stick that was holding up the crate above them. Everything on top dropped, completely burying them all in filth. The crate itself did little to protect them from what fell from above. They must have been behind a restaurant. It was rank and slimy, but no one dared move from their hiding place. If they were found, they were dead.

"Jazz," Prowl hissed, “put your weapon away. Power it down. Power everything down. If Frenzy can’t track our energy signatures then he can't find us."

Understandably, Jazz was reluctant to lose his only means of defense, but he eventually returned his weapon to subspace and Prowl felt him power down all unnecessary systems. Even his visor grew dim and Prowl did the same. Behind them, their human friend was laying flat on her side, Blaster's radio form in her arms and panting as soundlessly as she could. The Autobots grew quiet as well and waited.

Minutes later, an extremely angry Frenzy stomped their way. Through a few cracks in the crate, Prowl saw the cassette pacing in agitation. He looked fit to pop a gear over what happened to him. Prowl backed away further into the darkness, powering down his optics. His back pressed against the softer mass of the human behind him. He could feel the body trembling. Prowl prayed the human wouldn't make any noise.

Frenzy barked out a few choice words and ran off. A few minutes later, he came back and combed the area again before leaving once more. At least Prowl's plan had worked. While Frenzy had a feeling they were somewhere near by, he couldn't track them at all. Being small actually had its advantages this time.

They remained there for over an hour, silent and afraid. The human body grew completely still, never shifting or uttering a word. It became apparent to Prowl that the human was not going to move unless told to do so. When he thought it was finally safe to leave their hiding space, Prowl took command.

"I believe now would be a good time to go," he said softly. "We can't stay here."

"Good idea," Jazz whispered back. "You lead."

Prowl slowly pulled himself out of the garbage bags and boxes, followed by Jazz. Together they lifted the flat crate so their new human ally could inch worm out, pulling Blaster along. The human stood in the light and Prowl and Jazz could see her clearly. Her face was pale, green eyes wide. Her clothes were as filthy as they were, some sort of red sauce oozing down her hair.

"We need to get out of this area, fast," Prowl informed her.

The human nodded. "Come with me."

She took off at a run. Prowl and Jazz once again followed her lead, this time on foot. Each corner was a mystery as they made their way building by building; hoping the next opening wouldn’t contain their death. All remained clear

They ran down a few more streets before the human stopped and gestured to a pile of stacked boxes.

"I've got them, come on."

At first, Prowl and Jazz had no idea who she was talking to. Then something lizard-shaped came out of the shadows and peered down at them.

"Take you long enough. Me Grimlock wait forever. Not know if you in trouble; need me Grimlock to save you."

"Yes, yes, you're so brave," the woman said. "Come on."

She grabbed his short dinosaur arms and yanked him off the box. Then she started running again with Grimlock in one arm and Blaster in the other. "Hurry you guys, we can still make the-- there it is!"

A bus was pulling up and she charged forward with a "Get on!" shoving the hesitant Prowl and Jazz through the door. The driver looked quizzically at the odd group as they climbed aboard.

"The kids had a play at their school tonight," the woman explained without skipping a beat. She tried to balance the boom box and metal dinosaur around as she fished out money for three passengers. "It was about robots."

The driver still didn't look too persuaded.

"They smell funny."

She kept her face sober. "I know. There was an accident. Sorry, we'll sit in the back."

There were only a few other passengers riding that night and the group managed to get odd looks from every one of them as they shuffled down the isle.

Prowl and Jazz climbed onto the back seat. It was quite a different experience for the two Autobots to sit on something where their feet didn't touch the floor. The woman plopped down between them with heavy breath. Her hands were shaking.

“I can’t believe we made it,” she whispered as the bus started up again. She glanced cautiously out the back window as if half expecting Frenzy to come charging out after them.

"Who... are you?" Prowl asked.

"Her name Crystal," Grimlock answered for her as he perched on her lap. "Me Grimlock send her to find other Autobots. But me Grimlock surprised her do it. Her dumb. Her think me Grimlock is kitty cat."

"I said I was sorry! Sheesh!" Crystal cried, grabbing Grimlock’s head. “How about some gratitude for saving your friends here, lizard!”

“Me Grimlock not lizard! Me Grimlock not kitty either! Me Grimlock leader of Dinobots! Me Grimlock greatest Dinobot ever!”

Crystal slumped and sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to get anywhere with this conversation.

“So where are we going exactly?” Jazz spoke up.

“Back to my place.” Crystal smiled at him. “Don’t worry, it’s far away from here. I live in a completely different part of the city. You should be safe there.”

"You think we should, Jazz?" Prowl leaned forward to see past Grimlock. "What about the others? We can't just leave them out there alone."

"Yo! Look at us!" Jazz shot back. "It's not exactly like we could _do_ anything to help them. You're the one who's always telling us when we should back up and regroup. Well _now_ is the time! We're no help to our guys if the cassettes slag us first."

"You are right, of course," Prowl admitted. He paused as his processor plotted a new plan. "It will be best to get out of the immediate danger zone and then wait for morning before going to search for them. In the mean time, we can try to figure out what happened. However, I'm not sure if..." He trailed off as he looked at the young woman between them. This wasn't her problem. By going with her, they could be putting her in danger. The Decepticons certainly weren't going to show her any mercy if they found her helping them.

He must have had a worried look on his face; Crystal smiled down at him and patted his helmet as if he were a child.

"Don't worry about it. Everything will turn out okay. You'll see," she insisted.

Prowl continued to frown. What did one human woman know about... everything?

* * *

 

 

"Well, here we are," Crystal announced as she unlocked the door to her second floor apartment. "Safe at home base. You're welcome to use it as long as you need."

The three robots tromped inside and looked around. Lines of multicolored clothing hung about the room.

"Nice place," Jazz commented as he appraised his surroundings. "I especially like the polychromatic decor."

Crystal gasped as she saw all her panties and bras hanging in plain sight.

"Gah! Sorry! You weren't supposed to see that!” she cried as she hurriedly went to collect her personal items. "My dryer's broken and I didn't think anyone would be coming by."

As she bustled about, the three Autobots regarded her with hardly any interest. Her panic didn’t make any sense to them. Why did she worry so much about them seeing that material?

Prowl had already surveyed the area, taking note of all windows and exits. Grimlock was nosing around behind the TV. Jazz was about to make himself comfortable on the couch when Crystal came back into the room.

"You two," she said, pointing to Prowl and Jazz. "You're robots, right? Are you water proof?"

Jazz and Prowl looked at each other at the odd question.

"Of course we are," Prowl responded.

"Good, come with me."

The two followed her into a smaller room with vinyl flooring, white walls and bright lights. A white ceramic tub sat to one side and she turned on the water. As the basin began to fill she looked expectantly at her guests.

"Get in."

The Autobots stared at her like she was crazy.

"Are you serious?" Jazz blurted.

"In," Crystal insisted again, pointing to the bath tub. "You're both filthy and you reek." She made a face as she pulled a bit of garbage from Prowl's door and dumped it in the trash. "Get in or I'll toss you in. You're not touching a single thing in my apartment until you're clean."

Reluctantly, they obeyed. Crystal provided orange dish soap and unceremoniously grabbed Prowl by the doors. She began scrubbing the parts the second in command couldn't reach. Prowl didn't look happy about it at all, but silently took the treatment.

"So you guys are Autobots, right?" Crystal asked as she cleaned is back. "I've never seen one in person before. Just on the news and stuff. I didn't know any of you were this small. You all look so big on TV."

"Well, this isn't exactly our normal size," Jazz responded. "The Decepticons did this to us."

Crystal paused. "Oh? Do they have a shrink ray or something?"

Jazz and Prowl looked at each other.

"That just might be it," Prowl said.

"Yeah, except the first time Megatron used it, it didn't shrink that drone. But then... you shot it, didn't you Prowl?"

"Hm... a malfunction? Or it was damaged?" Prowl ventured.

"Heh, what are the odds that a death ray turns into a shrink ray when it gets blasted?" Jazz smirked.

"Death ray?!" Crystal interrupted, pulling on Prowl's doors more than she needed to. "So they were trying to kill you?"

"Yeah," Jazz replied, “or didn't you notice that in your tangle with Frenzy? He had a gun. If he would have found us hiding there, he would have killed us all."

The human blinked several times as if her processor was fritzing. “I just have never had someone try to kill me before. This whole thing seems so... surreal.” She let out a heavy breath. “I still can't believe this is happening.”

"What you do in here?" Grimlock asked as he came in, still in dinosaur mode. He peered over the tub full of water. "What this?"

"Bath time," Jazz replied lightly. He made a fist and squirted water in Grimlock's face. The Dinobot backed away flicking the water off with a shake of his head.

"He'll still kill us if he finds us, won't he?" Crystal asked.

"Yes," Prowl told her simply.

She sat back on on her heels, thinking about her predicament. In the back of her mind, she understood the situation from the beginning. Her emotions were still trying to come up with the proper response for all this craziness.

"I'm sorry you were involved," Prowl said.

Crystal shook her head with a smile. “No, I'm the one who pulled the robot dinosaur from the dumpster, and I'm the one who decided to start a fight with a Decepticon. I did it because I wanted to. That isn't your fault... um, I didn't catch your name.”

"Prowl."

"I'm Jazz."

"Me Grimlock!"

"I know who _you_ are," Crystal intoned. "You never let me forget."

"What did you hit ol' Frenzy with anyway?" Jazz asked. "He fell like a sack of bricks."

"A sack of bricks," she grinned. "More specifically, my gym bag full of bricks. Threw out my arm doing it, too." She rubbed her shoulder, rotating the joint.

"Well you risked your life for us," Jazz said. "And we'll do everything we can to make sure nothing happens to you."

"Me Grimlock want in, too."

Crystal jumped back a bit in surprise as Grimlock transformed into his robot mode and climbed in the tub between Prowl and Jazz. The three sat in the soapy water and looked at each other.

Jazz sized up the Dinobot leader for the first time since they had been reunited. “Since when are you shorter than me?”

“Me Grimlock get hit twice, me think.”

Prowl got a certain look of disgust on his face. "I'm getting out," he grumbled as he climbed over the side.

Crystal handed him a towel.

“I don't need any help with this, thank you,” the police car said curtly as he marched out of the room.

Crystal watched him go. "Is he mad?" she whispered.

"Nah, he's just Prowl," Jazz said, still lounging comfortably in the warm water. "It's just in his process to be that serious. It's nothing personal."

"Right then, let's get you guys out so I can have a turn. I'm not smelling much better."

* * *

 

 

Later that night, the Autobots gathered in the small living room while Crystal locked herself in the bathroom to shower. They could hear the shower running down the hall.

"Me Grimlock all shiny now." Grimlock, now back in dinosaur mode, preened in front of his reflection in the TV.

As usual, he was ignored.

“So what’s the game plan now, chief?” Jazz asked from where he sat on the couch.

Prowl walked over to the glass door that led out to the balcony. He stared at the lights of the city as he thought it over.

“We need to contact the Ark somehow. Jazz?”

Jazz shook his head. “No can do. I’m willing to bet my new hubcaps those Decepticons are still out there hunting for us. If I tried to contact the base or anybody, they’d be here in a nanoclick. Megs probably has Soundwave probing for any kind of signal to try and find us.” He glanced toward the counter. “Maybe Blaster would have other ideas on how to get a signal out, if we can get him back online.”

“I just hope the others realized this and that is the only reason we haven't heard from them,” Prowl said in a somber tone.

“Ah, much better,” Crystal announced as she emerged in pajamas, damp hair wrapped in a towel. “Now to get to your friend.” She took Blaster off the counter and set about wiping all the muck off with a cloth. After a good scrubbing, she held the boom box at arm’s length to inspect it.

“This _is_ a robot, too, right? Of...some kind? I didn't risk my life for a simple radio, did I?”

“Yeah, Blaster’s one of us,” Jazz confirmed as he squatted next to her. “Though he has been a bit quietly lately...” He tapped the radio with the back of his hand. “Yo, dude! You in there?”

Nothing but silence came from the Autobot. It was as if he were any other normal household device.

“Is he broken?” Crystal wondered.

“Soundwave shot him,” Prowl said as he came up and inspected Blaster himself. “He transformed when he was hit. I haven’t heard a sound from him since. Something in there is malfunctioning.”

Crystal went back to cleaning him. “Well you can certainly keep him here for as long as you need to. Same goes for the rest of you. I’ll help you any way I can, just let me know what I can do for you.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do,” Prowl informed her. “We would prefer to keep you out of this as much as possible. We’ll only be using your quarters for a short time.”

“And what exactly is your plan?” she asked with a dubious tone.

Prowl sat himself on the floor next to her, looking tired. “We need to find the three missing members of our team before the Decepticons do. And we need to find a way to contact our base.”

“Where's home for your guys? Where will you be safe?”

“The Ark. Back in Oregon.”

Crystal gave a low whistle. “Wow, you are far from home.” She paused to think. “My car is in the shop until the weekend. Maybe then I could take a few days off work to drive you guys down there. Or at least half way. How long does it take to drive across the country?”

“That's very kind, but we're not leaving without our teammates,” Prowl insisted.

“Ditto,” Jazz agreed, “we don't leave Autobots behind.”

“You think they’re still out there?” Crystal wondered.

“It's possible,” Prowl said. “Our comrades are intelligent and experienced. Either way, we need to make the attempt to search for them. Or at least find out what the Decepticons are doing.”

“Getting us back to normal would be nice, too,” Jazz quipped.

“Is a lot to do,” Grimlock grumbled, his tail swishing in agitation.

“Well, as I said before,” Crystal put in. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need. And I’ll do everything I can to help. We’ll just take it all one step at a time.”

“You,” Prowl informed her, “will stay out of the way as much as possible. If the Decepticons found–“

”Hey! Movies!” Jazz found himself a cabinet full of DVDs and VHS tapes. Now he was staring at the full shelves with a glint in his optic band. “Primus must be smiling on me today.” He turned his grinning face towards Crystal. “Can I? Pretty please?”

She chuckled. “Have at it. Just don’t scratch my disks.”

Prowl's optics drifted skyward as he mustered his patience.

Crystal placed the now clean Blaster back on the counter. “Well, unfortunately, it’s after midnight and I do have to go to sleep. I have work tomorrow morning so balancing all this may be a bit tricky. But I’ll figure it out tomorrow. Is there anything I can get you guys before I go to bed? Are you hungry or...?”

“We don’t eat food,” Prowl informed her.

“What about a place to sleep?”

“We can recharge anywhere, but our energy reserves should hold us until we can get back to our base.”

“Oh.” Crystal stood there, feeling stupid and not very useful at all. “So... what are you guys going to do tonight? I have to sleep. I can’t stay up with you.”

Jazz was already making a stack of movie titles he wanted to watch. “I’ll be fine until morning!” he chirped happily.

Grimlock crouched, glaring suspiciously at the white plush bunny on the couch. He didn't trust those beady, black eyes.

“We are fine. We can occupy ourselves until morning,” Prowl assured her pragmatically.

A bit deflated at her lack of ability to be helpful, Crystal drooped her shoulders. “Alright, um... yeah, I’ll see you in the morning.. I guess...”

She padded softly to her room and Prowl heard the door close. Jazz flipped on the TV and eagerly inserted his first selection into the DVD player. Prowl advised him to keep the volume down.

A few minutes in, a muffled cry came from the bedroom.

“KILLER ROBOTS?! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!”

Surprised, Prowl turned to Jazz.

“There we go,” Jazz grinned. “I was starting to wonder about her. But I think it will be fine.”

Prowl just sighed. The city outside was so big and they were so very small. It was going to be a long night.

 

 

 


	2. Day Two: Destined to Meet

**Small Problems**

**Day Two: Destined to Meet**

 

From his temporary underground base beneath New York City, Megatron was getting impatient. His fuse had been short ever since the previous afternoon when his beloved death ray malfunctioned. Instead of draining the life from his adversaries, it had shrunk them. The results were so baffling, at first the Decepticons were too dumbstruck to react.

By the time any of them gathered their wits about them, the Autobots had already scattered. The problem was they were now too small for the regular sized Decepticons to give chase. They were smaller than even those disgusting human creatures. Megatron instantly ordered Soundwave to eject all his cassettes; they were a more appropriate size to give chase.

It was now nearly dawn the next morning. None of the cassettes, not a single Decepticon, found anything. Megatron's patience was waning. He started pacing in agitation. Skywarp and Thundercracker watched him in guarded silence. One wrong move and one just may find himself at the receiving end of their leader's wrath.

There was a commotion further down the tunnels as Frenzy and Rumble approached. They were in a argument, both were talking so fast at the same time that neither were understandable. But both fell silent as Megatron's looming form came into view.

"Rumble! Frenzy! Report!"

They stayed quiet for a while, fearing repercussions. But then, they also knew staying silent wouldn't keep them from getting slagged either.

"We can't find them!" Rumble blurted. "Those slaggin' mini bots have taken off and hidden somewhere like the cowards they are! They're scared of me 'n Frenzy! They won't come out and fight!"

Storm clouds seemed to materialize in front of Megatron's face as he clenched his fists. "This does not make me happy. I should have had Optimus Prime's lifeless body at my feet by sundown yesterday. My ultimate weapon was not meant to do this. This is not acceptable."

"But Megatron," Fenzy put in, “we still beat the Autobots. They're tiny now; harmless. You still have a shrink ray. If you managed to shrink all the Autobots--"

"FOOLS!"

On instinct, Skywarp and Thundercracker ducked seconds before there was a gaping, smoking hole in the wall behind them, courtesy of Megatron's arm cannon.

"I don't want a weapon that _shrinks_ Autobots! I want a weapon that KILLS Autobots!" He kicked at a pile of scrap for emphasis of his malcontent. "I don't care the size, I want Optimus Prime's head for my wall! No matter what! SOUNDWAVE!"

"Yes, Megatron." Soundwave's dark blue form seemed to materialize out of the shadows as he was summoned.

"Soundwave, you built that faulty device, fix it!"

"As you command, Megatron." Soundwave turned smartly and marched off to fulfill the task given him.

"The rest of you," Megatron announced, “continue searching the area. I mean everyone! The Autobots will NOT leave this city, no matter their size! Is that understood?"

His team was dubious, but all nodded.

* * *

 

 

_She could remember her mother's smile and how she used to laugh. How she always looked bravely ahead with eagerness at any new challenge that came her way._

“ _Crys,” she would always say, “don’t fight the change, rise to meet it. There are greater powers at work here. Every place we go, everything that happens, is all for a reason. We all have a greater purpose. To find it, we must go where destiny takes us and keep our eyes open.”_

 

"Hey, hey. Wake up. Open your eyes!"

Crystal groaned as the insistent voice prodded her out of sleep. She groggily opened her eyes to see a white number in front of her face.

"Four?"

She looked higher to see a grinning mouth and a bright blue band of light.

"Hi!" Jazz greeted her. The little Autobot was sitting on her mid section, looking quite pleased with the job he had done.

"What?" Crystal mumbled. "What is it?"

"It's time to wake up," Jazz informed her. "Come on."

She did not reflect his good mood as she dragged herself out of bed and followed Jazz into the living room. Slowly, the previous night all came back to her.

 _Mom, Not everything happens for a reason. I don't believe I was meant to have three robots in my apartment._ Scratch that. Four robots, if that radio on the counter ever decided to do anything.

Crystal looked at the clock on the wall and her jaw dropped.

"It's freaking 6 am!" she squawked.

"Prowl said humans can run on five to six hours of sleep," Jazz defended.

Crystal shot a crusty look toward the black and white Autobot sitting on her couch with a book in his lap. "I wanted more," she grouched.

Prowl gave a look that insinuated he hadn't considered that possibility.

Crystal's eyes then fell upon a pile of white cotton on the other side of the couch. It took a moment for the full horror to seep in.

"MISTER FLOPSY!!" She threw herself on the couch, handling all the pieces of the torn plush bunny. Glaring around for the culprit, she shot daggers at Grimlock who still had some cotton hanging from his mouth.

"Oh, were we not supposed to let him do that?" Jazz asked innocently.

"Bad dino! Very bad!" Crystal shook her finger at him as if he were a dog.

Grimlock spit out the cotton. "Me Grimlock no bad dino! Me king of all Dinobots!"

Crystal's face twisted back into a pout as she gathered what remained of the rabbit in her arms. "It's too early for this..." She whimpered and curled back up on the couch amidst the rabbit's fluffy remains.

"Hey, don't go back to sleep," Jazz urged as he climbed onto the couch and then onto Crystal's back. "You have to help us. We're flying blind right now."

"Jazz," Prowl hissed. "Stop crawling all over her."

"Aw, she doesn't mind," Jazz insisted. He swatted at the girl's cheek. "Hey! Look alive! We need answers!"

Crystal reached up an arm and snatched Jazz, pulling him down to lay next to her. She snuggled closer as if he were a teddy bear.

"Another hour.." she mumbled.

"Ack! Prowl! Pst! Prowl! Help me out here!" He floundered his free arm, trying to get Prowl's attention.

In turn, Prowl just shook his head.

"You're warm," Crystal mumbled, pulling Jazz closer and resting her head on his shoulder.

Grimlock wandered over. He transformed into robot mode so he could climb onto the couch, then back into dinosaur mode where he also crawled over the now sleeping human and squeezed himself between her and the couch, resting his head on her neck. Jazz had already resolved himself to his fate and the three of them remained silent. Prowl went back to reading his book.

Roughly an hour later, Prowl reached out and grabbed Crystal's foot, shaking it a little.

"It's seven o'clock now. You wanted to get up at this time."

Only a tired moan responded from Crystal's side of the couch.

"Hey!" Grimlock demanded from where he was tangled in her long, red hair. "Prowl say time to get up!" He tapped at her skull with one of his dinosaur fore claws. "Me Grimlock say is not good idea to no listen. Him know stuff!"

Crystal thrust an elbow at him to shut him up and grabbed a pillow to cover her face--also part of Jazz's who was still in her arms.

A bit irritated, Grimlock kicked into stage two. He ripped the pillow from her with his jaws and then grabbed the skin of her cheek, pulling on it.

"Me Grimlock say get up or me Grimlock set your face on fire. It never happen to me Grimlock, but me guessing it no feel good."

With a groan, Crystal heaved herself from the couch, taking Jazz with her. He hung there limply like a doll, giving Prowl a "Why me?" look as he was carried off down the hall.

The girl shuffled into the bathroom and set Jazz on the counter. She gazed in the mirror and made a face at the pathetic looking person blinking back at her. She groaned again at her reflection and set about trying to brush her wild mane of hair. The fact that Grimlock had previously made a nest of it didn't help at all.

"So?" Jazz prodded as he watched them both in the mirror. "How about an address, Sleeping Beauty? Where are we?"

Crystal pulled up her hair and sighed.

"Give me a few more minutes, kay?" she ground out of a hoarse throat. Jazz watched in fascination as she slipped in a pair of contact lenses and shuffled off into her bedroom, shutting the door.

Ten minutes later, Crystal emerged again, dressed smartly in a pressed, black skirt and looking fresher.

Prowl followed her expectantly into the kitchen where she poured herself a bowl of cold cereal and sat on the couch to eat.

"We need to start looking for the other Autobots," Prowl informed her. "You have to tell me where in the city we are and where we need to go."

"I told you, I can't help you this morning, Shorty," Crystal replied, mouth still half full. She quickly swallowed before continuing. "I have to go to work. We can do all of that when I get back."

Prowl's doors sagged. "How long will that be?"

"About eight hours. I work full time."

"That's too long. We need to get out there now."

"And do what? You going to fight those guys again? You were running just as scared as the rest of us last night. I guarantee you those Decepticons are still hunting for you. If your friends are out there, they're probably laying low. They'll be impossible to find. Not to mention you'll get them and yourself killed if you call them out in the open at the wrong time. I say you wait a while longer until I can help you guys out. Then we'll come up with a plan."

Promises of plans were Prowl's weakness and Jazz knew it. He took his turn to jump in.

"It's probably a good idea. We definitely can't go in there with our servos crossed just hoping to find them. We need to wait until we know what we're doing. Preferably also when the Cons aren't on high alert. There's got to be something else we can do in the meantime to prepare."

"Little Four has a point," Crystal agreed as she finished her cereal. "You're more than welcome to at least get familiar with this neck of the woods. I can leave you a spare key and you can have a look around."

Jazz and Crystal looked at Prowl hopefully. The police car took a moment to think.

"It might be a good idea to be familiar with the local surroundings, should anything happen."

Crystal didn't like the insinuation that the Decepticons may be led to her place. But it was too late to back out now. "Right. I'll make sure I get you the key before I leave."

She stood to deposit her bowl in the sink and then disappeared down the hall again.

Jazz grinned over at Prowl's grim expression.

"I don't like this," Prowl said. "We shouldn't be waiting around here all day just for her to get home. And we definitely shouldn't be involving humans at all. This is dangerous and it's not her fight. It's irresponsible to stay here."

"In an ideal world, yeah, but we've got no choice, Prowlie-Boy. We need a safe place to operate. And we need her because she knows this city better than we do. For now, we're going to have to stay here and be patient.”

"Me Grimlock like it here," Grimlock said without invitation. He was lounging around in the soft remains of Mr. Flopsy. "It quiet. No Dinobots touching me Grimlock's stuff. No Optimus Prime bug me Grimlock to save him and Autobots. No Wheeljack make me Grimlock run stupid tests. No Sideswipe use me Grimlock like spring board. Me Grimlock could get used to this."

Jazz gave Prowl another grin. "Two against one, man."

Prowl turned and trudged off, surrendering to his fate.

* * *

 

 

As promised, Crystal left an apartment key for the trio of tiny robots with a "Don't let him chew on anything else" before she left. Prowl made them get to work right away. He found himself a notebook and writing supplies. The first thing he did was map out the apartment. Next went notations of all possible exists: the bedroom window, main door, and the glass door leading out to the balcony.

Next, Prowl had the three of them all split up and take a look outside the apartment complex. He gave specific instructions not to be seen by any other humans. All day they lurked around under cars and in the shadows as they spread out and took note of the area. Prowl wanted everything. How many buildings in the complex, where their building was located on the property, what street they were on, and everything that was around them.

The whole exercise filled up most of their day. Though it had to be cut short mid-afternoon when Grimlock ran into someone's Pekinese and they all fled for cover back to the apartment. However, they had managed to gather enough information to make some fairly accurate maps and Prowl was quite satisfied with them.

The last few hours were spent with Jazz watching day time court TV on the couch while Grimlock nosed around under it. Prowl noticed Grimlock hardly transformed out of his dinosaur mode the entire time they had been in this place. Maybe, Prowl theorized, it made Grimlock feel safer to stay in dinosaur mode. Even he had to admit, being this size with enemies so large, in a city so unfamiliar and with a guardian so frail, it was all a bit intimidating. Prowl hoped it would all be over soon.

* * *

 

 

"Hey guys!" Crystal sang as she waltzed through the door, plastic bags hanging from her arms. "Everything is still in one piece, excellent! How did it all go?"

"I'm getting so bored!" Jazz exclaimed as he ran over to her and tugged on her skirt hem. "Judge Judy is over. Let's go do something before my joints rust over from disuse."

"Calm down, Four, we will. Hold on, I brought you guys some stuff." She reached into her bag. "First, for Sir Chomps-A-Lot..." Crystal pulled out a grotesquely cartoonish blue rabbit made of plastic and tossed it in Grimlock's direction. It bumped into the Dinobot's rear flank and he snapped at it. The thing squeaked as it was bitten and Grimlock instantly let it go, jumping to his feet and circling it curiously.

“And I kept thinking about your radio friend, and how he can’t talk,” Crystal continued as she pulled out a blank cassette tape. “I have a crazy idea, but it just might work.”

Jazz and Prowl gathered around her as she sat with Blaster on the floor. She slid in a blank cassette and pushed record. She then encouraged Jazz and Prowl to talk to him to see if Blaster was able to record some kind of response.

After a minute or so, Crystal stopped the tape and rewound it. The three of listened anxiously as the tape was played back. They were disappointed to find all they got was an odd static sound.

“Man, poor Blaster. He’s really busted,” Jazz lamented.

“And I’m out of ideas,” Crystal said. “I’m not sure if it would be a good idea to try and take him anywhere to get fixed. Who knows how other people would react when they find out he's not a normal radio.” She placed Blaster back on the counter. “He’s just going to have to wait until I can get you back home.”

“Are you able to show us the city now?” Prowl asked, trying not to sound too insistent.

“Sure can. Let me just get out of this skirt and these heels first.”

A few minutes later, she was in a pair of torn jeans, pulling a big map from her bag and laying it out on the floor. Prowl's optics lit up and he was instantly at her side, taking note of everything.

"I have to work tomorrow, too, so we can only be out for a few hours I’m afraid. But maybe if I show you where you’re going, you could find the way there yourselves if you wanted. Now let see.." She reached into her bag and pulled out a red marker.

"This is the best map of Central New York I could find. We're located here." She circled her neighborhood. "This is the route we took on the bus..." She drew a line along on the roads they took. Then she leaned in closer to get a better look at the different blocks. "I think I found Grimlock about here and Jazz and Prowl.... maybe around here." She lifted her head and looked at Prowl. "That's about the extent of what I know from last night."

Prowl took over, lightly kneeling on the vast map to get a better look. He wished he dared tap into the GPS satellite. But even that could possibly tip the Decepticon off to where he was. He would have to rely on his memory banks and hope it was good enough.

"We need to locate the sight of the battle and search it. Maybe we'll find some clues as to where the others have gone."

"Dude, Prowl, that's a bad idea," Jazz countered. "Decepticons are going to be swarming that place. Not to mention Prime and the others would be out of their processor to leave any trace someone could follow."

"We need some place to start," Prowl insisted. "Maybe we'll find something the bigger Decepticons missed. We can't just wander randomly around the city, we need to stay organized. Started at ground zero is the best way to go about it."

"And I'm telling you, Prowl, Decepticons are going to be watching out for us there. It isn't smart to go."

"The Decepticons are not going to be there," Prowl continued to argue. "They would have already searched the whole area. By now they are spreading out to further locations. Or they may have left altogether."

"Then what's the point of going there, Prowl?"

"Maybe they missed something, _Jazz_. AND we need to know where we've been before we can map out where we're going."

The two broke out in a simultaneous argument, each talking at the same time and hardly making a lick of sense to the other. They both finished at the same time and then glared at each other.

Crystal busted up laughing.

"Aww... you two are best friends, aren't you?" she grinned.

Prowl and Jazz looked at each other guiltily.

"I still say there's no point in searching the site." Jazz insisted.

"Well I think--"

"Okay then!" Crystal announced cheerfully as she picked up each of the surprised robots. "Let's go have a look-see." She carried Jazz and Prowl over and, with a bit of maneuvering, managed to get the door open. "Bring the map, Grim! We're heading out!"

"Me Grimlock bring map!" Grimlock announced as if it were his own idea. Transforming to robot mode, he grabbed the map and ran out the door after them.

* * *

 

 

The group of three robots and one human sat quietly on the bus as it jostled through an older part of town. By now, Prowl had commandeered _his_ map and set about plotting courses. Jazz, who never could stay on one conviction for too long, even if it was his own, let him. As long as he didn't get slagged, he let Prowl have his way. And Prowl was quite good at not letting his fellow Autobots get slagged, so Jazz didn't worry about it.

Crystal sat between them, iPod on and keeping an eye on Grimlock. She insisted the Dinobot leader pick a form and stay in it the entire ride. Right now, he was in his robot mode, legs swinging off the seat. But he was looking restless and Crystal didn't want more attention on them than she already had.

"Hey," Jazz tugged on her arm. "What are you listening to?"

Crystal popped out one of her ear buds and gave it to him. Jazz curiously held it up to his audio, listened a moment, and then frowned.

"This music is... kind of old.”

"You're old!" Crystal shot back. She made a move to retrieve her ear bud, but Jazz held out his hand, signaling he wanted to continue listening anyway. Crystal let him.

The bus dropped them off a few blocks away where Prowl guessed the altercation of the day before took place.

"There's a lot of construction going on over here," Crystal said as she pointed up the street. "That's probably where it happened."

"Then we need to be extremely careful in this area," Prowl said. "Just because it's day time and there are people around doesn't mean the Decepticons are laying low. They don't always care if there is anyone to see them."

"In that case, they probably wouldn't look twice any humans wandering around the place," Crystal pointed out. "Mini Autobots, however..."

"Point taken," Prowl said, consulting his map. "At any rate, we would definitely do better to split up and stay out of sight as much as possible."

"Okay, you guys just want to meet back here around 8 o'clock? Does that sound like a plan?"

"That will be fine." Prowl nodded. "Jazz, I want you to stick with Crystal. Grimlock will come with me. We are going to cover this direction." He pointed to the area opposite of the construction site where he and Jazz had fled. "Since Crystal can probably get closer without being noticed, you two will explore the site directly.”

Jazz frowned, knowing Prowl had just ignored every argument he gave back at the apartment. He knew Prowl knew it, too.

“I know,” the police car said as if a silent conversation passed between them. “Even though you're right, we still have to look. We can't afford to miss anything, not with this.”

Jazz vented out some air; the noise came out with a tiny hiss, like a sigh. “Yeah.”

“I know you can do this, Jazz. You are adept at getting around without being noticed. Just be careful and stay alert.”

Jazz saluted with a half-grin. "Can do, Cap'n."

"Me Grimlock looking for other Autobots?" Grimlock asked, not sounding too happy at the chore. "Last time me Grimlock need find Autobots, me Grimlock send her. She find them first." He pointed to Crystal.

Prowl simply nodded. "Yes, but this time we are helping."

"Guesso..." Grimlock relented.

The group split according to Prowl's orders. He and Grimlock disappeared into the back alleys of the city as to not attract any attention. Jazz and Crystal started up the sidewalk to the construction area. They continued slowly with Crystal scanning ahead and Jazz carefully following in her shadow. There were several different blocks under construction; all with the same materials piled up and machines parked every which way. They passed site after unfamiliar site without finding anything of interest. But then, Jazz saw it.

It hard to forget. That site with the brick wall and the boxed-in building foundation. The skeletal structure jutting out of the ground. It was the perfect place for an ambush. And they had stupidly rushed right into it. Now he was less than three feet high, stranded in an overcrowded city with no idea how to contact his missing team mates, his base, or how he was going to get back to his normal size.

Jazz continued to frown as Crystal wandered into the site. Scorch marks peppered the brick wall; tell-tale signs there had been a battle. It sent a chill up her spine despite the warm, summer air. Maliciousness had gone on in this area; the intent to kill. It still hung heavy here. She felt the negative energy prickle her skin and it swallowed her.

"Doesn't look like any bot's here now," Jazz spoke.

Crystal didn't seem to hear him. He approached and reached up to grab her hand. Only on contact did the human woman look down at him, blinking in surprise as if she forgot he existed.

"Come on," Jazz coaxed, “Let's keep looking."

He tugged her hand and Crystal allowed herself to be led away from the battle scene. She gazed with wide eyes at a section of brick building that had been smashed through by a giant robot body. Jazz kept pulling her forward and away from the scene.

They wandered to further sites and searched soundlessly, each not sure how what the should be looking for. There was still a strange wind in the air; a feeling of danger. Neither one of them dared to even call out a name. And with radio communications out of the question, Jazz was a bit frustrated.

"We're not going to find them," he grumbled, mostly to himself. "This is stupid. Even if they were close by, but there's no way we dare let them know--"

A heavy shove to his back cut off his sentence and Jazz was flung into a pile of debris in a shadowed alley way. He was about to demand what was going on, but then he saw something that made his vocal processor freeze.

Crystal saw it first and her reaction was to not save herself, but to shove the little robot out of view. Robot. Her inner thoughts laughed at her, not for the first time. She was risking her life for robots. Pieces of machinery. What was wrong with her?

All the same, she had reacted. And now she stood out in the open, a giant red, white, and blue Decepticon looming over her. She had no idea how something that size had gotten so close without her noticing. That mistake just may have cost her life. Again, her life for the sake of a robot. Why was she doing this?

So far, it didn't seem that the towering seeker had noticed her. Crystal backed away slowly, praying she didn't catch its attention. With her wide eyes glued on the frightening sight, she wasn't watching where she was going and tripped on a pipe. There was a small clang as she gasped soundlessly and stumbled backward. She landed on her backside, catching herself painfully with her palms; breath held in her throat. She hadn't made that much noise. Maybe it still hadn't noticed her.

She glanced up and froze. Two sharp, blood red optics were trained right on her. The darkened face plate was pulled into an emotionless frown. For a moment neither Crystal nor the metal monstrosity moved. Then, the Decepticon raised its arm and Crystal saw a weapon of some sort attached to it, aimed right at her. Her body jerked with fear.

_It's going to shoot me. Oh God, it's going to KILL me!_

Far more frightening than even the weapon was the look of complete indifference on the robot's face. To this behemoth, Crystal was no more than a bug, nothing worth even a first thought, let alone a second one.

She heard the whine of the weapon powering up. Then the Decepticon's face suddenly snapped in another direction, as if someone were talking in its ear.

"I'm still out looking," Starscream grated out in a high, irritated voice. "Stop bothering me! I'll report in when I find something."

He ended the radio connection before Megatron could yell at him for being impertinent and turned his attention back to the insect he was about to exterminate. But the human was gone. Starscream glanced down the alley way. It was bordered half way through by a fence. There was a small hole and, out the light on the other side, he saw the flicker of the human's retreat as it took off around the corner.

As much as a fly that had buzzed off to some place else, Starscream gave the human little mind. He had other things to worry about and he moved off.

* * *

 

 

Crystal's heart wouldn't stop pounding. Her small window of redemption came like a godsend and she took it. Grabbing Jazz, she raced down the alley, forced her way through the fence and out the other side. Now she was running as fast as her feet could take her, wishing she could flee even faster. At one point, she stumbled and dropped Jazz, but she didn't stop for him. Her panic wouldn't let her. The rumbling sound next to her told her he was keeping up fine on his own in vehicle mode.

Through crowds and deserted places Crystal ran. All she could do was run. She ran until her body had nothing else left to propel her and she nearly collapsed on hands and knees outside a small park, panting heavily and wanting to throw up. Her limbs were on fire and trembling, her vision was swimming. She was far away now, but still terrified. She had never felt so afraid; never been so close to death.

As she panted and shivered, a hand lightly touch her shoulder.

"Hey, you gonna to be okay?" Jazz asked softly.

Crystal was still breathing too hard to reply. Her mouth was dry and sore from sucking in air. She sat back, leaning against the wall as she tried to swallow, weakly nodding.

"That robot... was huge," she managed to pant.

"Tell me about it," Jazz said with a lopsided grin. "I never thought I'd find old Starscream that menacing. You saved my aft back there by shoving me out of the way. He would have cooked me for sure."

"Cooked us both," Crystal corrected, resting her elbows on her upturned knees. She let out a heavy breath as her respiratory system slowed back to normal. She leaned her head against the wall and let out another breath as she watched the clouds pass by above her. It was good to be alive. She looked over at Jazz.

"If you get back to normal size, will you be that big?"

Jazz chuckled. "I'm not as tall as Starscream, but I could still take him out."

"I suppose that's all I could ask.” She held out her hands in front of her face, clenching and unclenching her fingers. They were still trembling.

Jazz's reached out and sandwiched one of her hands in his. "You're shaking," he said.

She gave a weak attempt at a smile. "Adrenaline rush. I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes."

Jazz nodded and crouched next to her, her hand still in his.

His obvious concern caught her attention. Despite how easily she interacted with them, Crystal still had a hard time looking at them as more than machines. As pets at the very least, not people. Certainly not human-- not with humanity. Not with feelings such as she had. And yet, despite his single optic band, it did little to hide the obvious emotion this small robot showed on a continuous basis. How did something made of metal and wires feel so _alive_?

Crystal smiled down at the little Autobot. "You're very sweet, you know that?"

"I know," Jazz grinned back. He stood up and leaned on his knees to look her closely in the face. "What say we go back an' wait for Prowl? I think we've seen enough for today."

"Yes, please," Crystal said gratefully.

She slowly got to her feet. Her legs were still shaky from all that running, but she tried to hide it and started walking. The two meandered around as Crystal tried to get her bearings on exactly where she was in the city and how to get back to their rendezvous point. Preferably a route that didn't involve running into any more giant Decepticons.

This time, Crystal stuck with heavily trafficked areas. Jazz could hardly blame her, but it made it quite difficult for a bot his size to keep up. The New York populace not only didn't seem to care they had a robot in their midst, they also didn't notice. More than once, Jazz nearly lost his human companion in the crowd. Luckily, she was fairly tall with a distinct hair color and he would quickly worm his way through to catch up with her again.

However, as Jazz feared, a large group of people surged from the opposite direction and he lost her completely. All around him were towering humans; not a single one familiar. There were so many of them, he couldn't even see where to go or what was around him. Nothing but a shuffling sea of bodies bombarded him every direction he turned. For a moment, panic filled his processor. If he got lost, what was he supposed to do? How would he ever find his way back again?

"There you are," Crystal announced as she appeared from the crowd.

The look on Jazz's face must have been of complete relief. Crystal reached out and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you behind, Jazz. We're in this together."

She said that last line in an odd way. But Jazz was too relieved at being found to take note. Usually a talker, Jazz uncharacteristically stayed quiet as they made their way to the meeting point. He was out of his element in this giant city with towering building and seas of humans. It was uncomfortable and he looked forward to getting back to the sanctity of the smaller, enclosed apartment and to see his own kind again.

Crystal led them back to the bus stop and the pair waited for Prowl and Grimlock to return. Hopefully, with better results of their search.

There was a small pond near by. Crystal leaned her elbows against the rail and watched the ducks float about. Jazz didn't enjoy the scenery as much, hardly able to see above the tall weeds. And he didn't care. His biggest concern was making sure he was next to Crystal at all times. After that horrible feeling of being completely lost, he was dead set on going home with her. Primus himself couldn't make him stay alone in this city overnight. It was all he could do to not simply grab onto her shin until she carried him to the bus. Instead, he had to settle for leaning against the rail and watch her hair blow in the wind.

Hair was an odd thing for Jazz. Being a robot, it was very foreign to him. He never had a close look at it before. This Earth woman had extremely long hair that fell past her waist. It was an odd pale rusty color, thin and light. It waved almost hypnotically in the breeze. Jazz didn’t even realize he was reaching out to grab it until she said something to him.

"Hey, Four, do you ever have dreams?"

Jazz immediately pulled his hand back, hoping she didn’t notice.

"Nope. I don't sleep, remember?"

"Do you know what they are?"

Jazz shrugged. "Kind of. You see things with your eyes closed, like replaying data in your head or something. It kinda freaks me out."

Crystal laughed. "It's not something freaky, I promise." She returned her gaze back to the pond.

"Why'd you ask?" Jazz then said.

"Oh," Crystal responded as she was reminded of it. "I just had a dream last night. It was about my mom. It reminded me of something she used to tell me whenever sudden changes came up."

Crystal gazed down at the robot. As an afterthought, she reached down to pick him, setting him on the rail so they were almost eye to eye. Jazz finally got his view of the pond while Crystal settled back into her memories.

"We used to move around a lot when I was a kid. I hated it. But my mother was almost so optimistic. She had this weird faith in fate. She always told me things happened for a reason. That nothing in this world is coincidental.

“When I was little, I believed her without question. But now..." She sighed a little. "It seems like such an exhausting way to live, to constantly have faith in powers you can't control. Knowing that everything that's coming will happen whether you want them to or not. And there's nothing you can do about it. It seems a bit frightening unless you believe it's all meant to turn out for the best in the end. And that...” She shook her head. “I'm not sure I believe in either.

"But to believe that there is no greater purpose out there is even less disconcerting. To think we are all coincidentally here and that nothing is in store for us seems like a big joke. So I'm left with my first option that fate has something planned for us all. But if that's true then..." She looked over at Jazz. "It means that millions of years ago, you were shot out of space and you were meant to land here, sleep here. And you were meant to wake up in this time some twenty years ago. And yesterday, your Decepticon leader was meant to have a gun that shrinks Autobots and I was destined to find you. What do you think of that?"

Jazz just gave her a blank look and shrugged. Philosophical thinking like that made a throbbing in his logic circuits.

“Couldn’t really tell you,” he admitted. “In all honesty, we don’t really think about that much. Fate is a human idea. Your lives are so short and ours can go on forever. For those of us who have lived millions of years already, fate seems very... irrelevant.”

Crystal looked thoughtfully at the pond. “I suppose that could be true in your case. But I’m going to do a little experiment. If I can find your missing friends before I get my car back, I will accept that fate is trying to tell me something. And if not, well... maybe not everything in the world is directed by fate. Maybe there are some coincidences out there as well.”

Jazz looked at her oddly for a moment, not really understanding it all. Crystal turned her attention from him as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket to check the time.

"It's getting late. They should have been here by now. I wish there was some way to call them or something. I hope they didn't get lost."

"Nah, Prowl's got his map. He never gets lost," Jazz assured her. "Let me see that." He held out his hand for the cell phone. Jazz inspected the small appliance then grew still as if deep in thought. Crystal was about to ask what he was doing, but then Jazz came to life again and handed back the phone.

"Here you go," he said as if he had just given her a brand new gift.

Crystal opened her mouth to ask why he did that when her phone rang, singing a part of "Take On Me" before she flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"How's that sound?" Jazz said as his voice echoed over the cell phone.

"Wicked!" Crystal exclaimed in approval. "So you can call me on my phone now?"

"Yup," Jazz beamed. "It only works one way, but if we get separated I can always get in contact with you."

"That's fantastic!" She grinned over at him. "You're amazing."

Once more, Jazz beamed. "I know.”

Something lightly tugged on Crystal's hand and she looked down to find a white Autobot next to her leg.

"Prowl, Grim! Oh, you guys are okay!" She was happy to see them, then her face fell at Prowl's dour expression. "No luck, huh?"

"No sign," Prowl replied. Even his usual stoic voice seemed to betray an undertone of disappointment. "If the others have completely fled this area, I don't know where we would search for them."

"Well," Crystal responded, trying to sound positive. "We'll just look somewhere else tomorrow and hope we find them. Maybe we can--"

She was cut off as Prowl got a stern look on his face and grabbed her hand, pulling her down to his level. When the two were almost eye to eye, Prowl went to her arm and frowned at the scratches he found. Crystal hadn’t even noticed them. She must have gotten them when she scrambled through the fence to escape from Starscream. They weren’t bad, but still deep enough to have dried blood gathered where the skin was broken.

Prowl gave a disapproving glare to Jazz who slumped guiltily.

Crystal patted Prowl's head. "Don't worry about it, it's fine. I just want to go home."

Jazz jumped off the rail and followed as Crystal walked toward the bus stop.

"We'll have a talk later," Prowl informed his fellow second quietly.

Grimlock ran in front of Crystal and then transformed into his dinosaur mode. "Me Grimlock sick of walking. Carry me.”

Crystal scooped him up without a thought even before Jazz or Prowl could get after him for treating her that way. The timing was perfect and the bus pulled up right then. Crystal tromped inside and sat down with Grimlock in her lap. Jazz and Prowl climbed onto the seat next to her and they were off again.

"Ugh, I am so hungry. I can't wait to get back home," Crystal complained. She glanced at the two Autobot officers. "Are you sure I can't fix you guys something to eat?"

Jazz grinned crookedly at her. "You could, but we wouldn't be able to do anything with it."

Crystal sighed as she rested her chin on the top of Grimlock's head. "Another dinner for one then."

* * *

 

 

Late that night, Crystal stumbled out of the bathroom, heading back to bed. She noticed the faint light and slight noise coming from the living room. Jazz was, no doubt, spending another night systematically taking out her movie collection one by one.

As she reached her bedroom door, Crystal noticed two glowing blue eyes about knee height in the door way. Prowl's pale silhouette could be seen as she approached, clutching a book to his chest. He looked up at her in a way that reminded her of a cat she had as a child who would sit there when you opened the door and look at you expectantly as you tried to figure out what it wanted.

"How about it, Shorty?" she said to him. "You want in or out?"

Prowl glanced at the dark bedroom and then decided to go in. Crystal followed, closing the door behind her and flopping tiredly back in bed. She didn't even want to know what time it was.

As she settled in, she felt Prowl's lighter form crawling up on the bed and sitting on her pillow, back against the wall. Crystal rolled over to rest her forehead against his leg.

"What are you reading?" she asked as she pulled the covers closer around her.

"Alice in Wonderland," came the calm response.

"Really?" Crystal asked, opening one eye to look to see if he was joking. It hardly seemed like the preferred selection for a serious robot.

"I've read everything else," Prowl informed her.

"I see."

"This is the second time I'm reading this," Prowl continued. "I don't understand it."

"Really," Crystal wondered. "Though I suppose you could relate to it a bit. You are kind of down a rabbit hole right now, aren't you?"

Prowl quietly thought about it.

Crystal snuggled up closer. "Read it to me."

Prowl looked at the top of her head dubiously and then opened the book, starting from the beginning.

"'Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it. “And what is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?' "

Crystal settled into a quiet breathing rhythm as the calm, lulling voice made her drift off. Idly, her last thoughts were of the robots in her home. She was having a harder time thinking of them as robots as she got to know them. Though made of metal, they acted human and their skin was warm, almost alive to the touch. She wanted to protect them. She wasn’t sure why, but she had an undeniable urge to get them back to their home. Maybe they were destined to meet after all.

Prowl stopped reading out loud when his sensors told him the human body had slipped into her sleep mode. In the darkness, he watched her shoulders slowly rise and fall. He had always respected the human species, but never let himself get involved with them like some of his fellow Autobots had. He liked living by boundaries. Right now, it felt like he had crossed them and there was nothing he could do about it.

Unfortunately, Jazz had been right, and in their current predicament, they needed this human’s help. But Prowl was determined to keep her out of their fight as much as possible. When it was all over, he would sever the ties. This girl didn’t need such danger in her life and Prowl wasn’t willing to risk it just for him.

* * *

 

 

It was the middle of the night, but Ratchet hardly noticed. It had been almost two days since he had heard from Optimus Prime or any of the Autobots that had gone with him to New York City.

It worried Ratchet.

According to Teletraan-1, the Decepticon activity was still high in New York. What was going on? Why hadn't he heard from anyone? What had happened to them? If they had lost the battle, then why wasn't Megatron on the move toward the unprotected Ark?

Ratchet wasn’t sure what was worse, not knowing what was going on or being completely helpless to do anything about it. He should have gone. Prowl was a better candidate to run and defend the base. He wouldn’t have gotten this antsy being left alone. Ratchet would have been better out on the field helping them with whatever had happened to them.

But it couldn’t be helped now. Ratchet had to deal with the card given to him. All available Autobots were ordered back to base so a rescue party could be sent out. That in itself was a chore.

Autobots were scattered all about the globe due to world-wide Decepticon activity. The Decepticons, most of which were high powered jets, could travel about the planet faster than the land based Autobots. All they had at the moment was Skyfire who had been shot down and was still waiting for rescue himself. Cosmos was in space. The entire team of Arielbots had been transferred to Cybertron.

Once again, there was nothing Ratchet could do about that now. The only thing he could do was wait for all the radioed parties to slowly drive back to base.

At that thought, Ratchet was pleasantly surprised to hear the doors to the control room hiss open and heavy metallic feet stomp in.

Flooded with relief at the early arrival, Ratchet turned around with elation. His face dropped just as quickly when he saw who was standing there.

“Oh,” he said flatly. “It’s just you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Day Three: What Blaster Did

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance if the Spanish is bad. I just used a program I found on Google.

**Small Problems**

**Day Three: What Blaster Did**

 

"Yes!" Slag announced with gusto as he stomped in, trailed by the three other Dinobots. "It us!"

"We come looking for leader Grimlock," Snarl said. "We no see him for long time."

"Grimlock is in New York," Ratchet informed them curtly, turning back to his instruments. "He went there on a mission with Optimus Prime."

The Dinobots looked crestfallen.

"What?" Ratchet asked, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"Dinobots play Hide and Seek," Swoop told him. "Grimlock it. Supposed to find Dinobots. But Grimlock forget and leave us. We hide for two days."

"Really?" Ratchet demanded, wondering how they didn't have the brains to get up after twenty minutes.

"This him second time he do this," Sludge said sadly.

"Where Grimlock?" Slag demanded, angry at the disappointment of his fellow Dinobots. "Where New York? Me Slag go there and stomp stupid leader for forgetting Dinobots!"

"It's clear across the country, Slag," Ratchet said tiredly. "It will take you more than a week to walk over there."

"When Grimlock come back?" Sludge asked innocently, no malice in his voice.

"I don't know," Ratchet admitted. "We've lost radio contact with them for two days now."

"Maybe Grimlock turn to hide now?" Sludge suggested.

"Not him turn!" Slag barked, punching the wall. "Him no play no more! Dinobots play without Grimlock now!"

"That's fine with me," Ratchet said as he watched Teletraan's screens. "Just don't do it anywhere around here."

It was then the doors opened for a second time.

Three more sets of feet came in-- one in particular more energetic than the other two.

"Ratchet!" Sideswipe greeted as he paraded in, arms wide in greeting. " _¡Hemos vuelto de la Argentina!_ "

Ratchet leveled a gaze at him that told fading tolerance. "You were supposed to be back from Argentina yesterday."

"We would have if Sideswipe hadn't wanted to soak up some local atmosphere." Brawn glared at him.

"They wanted us to stay," Bluestreak tried to help. "They insisted on throwing us a party for saving their town. It would have been rude to just leave."

" _Miramos un juego del fútbol,_ " Sideswipe explained. "Did you know they call it football everywhere else but _this_ country?"

"I don't care, Sideswipe," Ratchet sighed.

" _¡Tenían las muchachas más hermosas y bailamos hasta anochecer!_ " Sideswipe continued wistfully. "Ratchet, I want to learn to Samba Dance."

“I said I don't care.”

"Slag, what Sideswipe say?" Sludge asked. "Him broken?"

Slag scratched his head. "Me not know. Good thing Ratchet here to fix him."

"Stuff it, Sideswipe," Brawn grouched, pushing past the much taller Autobot. His tone told he had had enough of Samba _and_ of Sideswipe to last him a while. "So what's the big emergency, Ratchet? Why is it so quiet around here? And why are we reporting to you?"

"Prime put me in charge. We had heavy Decepticon movement on the East Coast. Prime took Skyfire and everyone available on the base. When they got close, Prime reported Skyfire down and the rest of them were driving into New York City. That was two days ago and that was the last I've heard from anyone."

"Prowl went with them?" Bluestreak asked in a small, worried voice.

"Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ironhide, and Grimlock. They've all gone missing along with Optimus Prime. And I haven't been able to send anyone after them. You are the first Autobots to show up."

Brawn frowned. He glanced over at Sideswipe and Bluestreak. After spending a two week mission with them, he was getting tired of seeing their faces. "Just send me, Ratchet, I'll take care if it."

Ratchet looked dubious at the request. "I don't think that's going to work. You can't do this by yourself. At least one Autobot needs to retrieve Skyfire and others should check out the city."

"I can do it all, no sweat. Just give me a break from the crackerjack crew." Brawn threw his thumb at Bluestreak and Sideswipe. "Or even better, why don't you go, Ratchet? You could fix Skyfire on the spot. Give me your job. There's no one else here. Any idiot could be able to do what you’re doing. I bet it’s easy."

Ratchet's face darkened and Brawn realized he may have misspoken.

* * *

 

 

Twenty minutes later, Brawn found himself on the interstate heading east and pulling a large, white trailer. Sideswipe and Bluestreak's bumpers were in front of him and he was not enjoying the view.

"Man, you really got under Ratchet's gears good, Brawn," Bluestreak said.

"Yeah," Sideswipe put in. "Even I know to keep my mouth shut when he's in that mood. _Solamente un tonto empujará un toro enojado._ "

They went over a bump and there was audible thump in the trailer. "Did he have to send the Dinobots with us?" Brawn grouched. "They're going to slow us down more than anything else."

"Oh, come on Brawn, lighten up!" Sideswipe urged as he revved his engine. "It's another adventure! This will be fun!"

* * *

 

 

Crystal awoke to the shrill cry of the window blinds as they were sharply pulled up, allowing sunlight to spill over her face. She groaned and rolled over.

"Hey!" Grimlock's voice barked at her. "It time to get up! Me Grimlock bored!"

"No," Crystal's voice moaned into her pillow. "It's not time yet."

The chirping of her alarm clock begged to differ and Crystal groaned again. She groped blindly at the floor, searching for it. A white hand beat her to it as Prowl nimbly turned it off. Crystal cracked an eye at him and then rolled over to see Grimlock perched on her window sill.

"Jazz want to watch Jersey Girl," Grimlock told her. "If me Grimlock see 'nother Ben Affleck movie, me Grimlock blow chunks. Get up so me Grimlock can go outside!"

With that, the Dinobot jumped off the window and onto her stomach. Crystal made an "umph!" noise as he rebounded to the floor and ran out of the room. She lurched vengefully after him, but got tangled in the blankets and only succeeded in falling off the bed face first.

"Are you okay?" Prowl asked, hovering over her.

Crystal grimaced again and then looked up at Prowl. "I don't have _that_ many Ben Affleck movies!"

In the kitchen, evidence that Prowl had finished his book and moved on to something else was on the table. The map covered it, red marks notating where they had already searched. A notebook was filled with scribbles on possibilities and places to look.

It made Crystal feel bad for them. They had been working so hard and worrying about their missing friends without any results. She really hoped things would look better for them today.

“You should be able to find your way around the city now, right?" she asked as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. She never could get herself up early enough to make a hot breakfast.

"Affirmative,” Prowl said. “There's no need to worry, I've plotted out everything. We'll be able to find our way back."

"Good," Crystal nodded, satisfied. She went to open the door while Prowl gathered his map and his notes.

Grimlock happily threw himself outside the second the door was open. Jazz slowly turned off his beloved TV and tromped after him, slouching slightly. Yesterday's search had robbed him of his enthusiasm. Crystal playfully pushed his helmet as if ruffling the hair of a child. Jazz brushed her hand away, but seemed to be in higher spirits.

"Wish us luck," he grinned.

Crystal gave him a thumbs up. "You got it. And be careful out there."

Prowl was the last one through the door.

"Good luck down the rabbit hole, Alice," Crystal told him.

Prowl opened his mouth to argue the new nickname, but Crystal had already closed the door in his face.

* * *

 

 

"Okay, that's it, I've got to pull over," Brawn radioed to his travel companions.

They had been driving for about six hours and were now going through a mountain range headed south from Idaho into Utah. Brawn pulled off the interstate and turned down a mountain road to get away from the mainstream traffic. Sideswipe and Bluestreak followed him, taking a bit more care down the bumpy dirt road.

Once within the safety of the trees, Brawn unhitched himself from the trailer and transformed, stalking to the back of it and flinging the doors open.

"Will you lummoxes knock it off?! Just sit still! I can't haul a trailer that's bouncing all over the road!"

Four metal dinosaurs looked at him.

"When we Dinobots get there?" Slag, the triceratops, demanded. "It small in here."

"Too small for Dinobots," Snarl, the stegosaurus, agreed. "We in here long time."

"Want out," Sludge, the brontosaurus, announced and stomped out of the trailer.

Brawn was quick to grab his tail and despite the smaller bot's size, was able to halt Sludge in his tracks.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not even half way there yet!"

A metal Pteranodon flew out. "Swoop free! Swoop free!"

That was the sign for all the Dinobots to stampede over Brawn and into the forest.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Bluestreak and Sideswipe transformed into their robot modes and peered into the trailer. Dinobot dents were peppered all over the interior.

"It's like taking human children on a car trip," Sideswipe speculated.

Bluestreak went to help Brawn up. "Maybe you should let them run around for a bit. Then they won't be as restless when we get them back in the trailer."

Brawn sighed as he sat on a large rock. "If we have to do this every couple of hours, this will take forever."

* * *

 

 

The day went slow for the three miniature Autobots. Even though Prowl kept them plowing ahead, the task was daunting. They were very little robots in a very big world; only being able to cover a fraction of what they could have done in their real size. The more they looked, the more hopeless it seemed.

"Prowl," Jazz said. "What are we going to do if we don't find Prime and the others soon? We have to let the base know what happened to us at some point. We can't hang around here looking forever. We need to ask for back up."

The frown on Prowl's face plate etched itself deeper. "You are right. I thought we could locate them by now, but we are running out of time. We may have to make contacting the base our top priority."

Jazz could hear it in Prowl's voice. He was not looking forward to calling Ratchet in his current condition, and without their leader. It was just one failure after another.

Although the day felt slow, it was dark before they knew it. They had covered miles and miles around the city, circling the original site in wider arcs until it felt like they had searched all there was to search. But every time one of them felt that way, all they had to do was look behind them to the miles of uncharted city still stretching out around them.

An entire day of looking brought forth nothing. Prowl's map was littered with red marks and they were all exhausted. Slowly, they made their way back to the apartment, spirits down and Grimlock grumbling every step. Even though they were looking forward to being back in the apartment, they didn't enjoy the feeling of returning empty handed.

When they arrived at the building, there was a group of teenagers hanging out in the stairwell. Prowl thought it best they not be seen. He led them back out to the balcony and Jazz fired a grappling hook from his wrist. The light was on inside and they could see Crystal dancing through the glass door. Prowl knocked, hoping she could hear him above the music.

Sure enough, Crystal, in shorts and T-shirt, turned from cleaning the kitchen to glide over and unlock the balcony.

"Hey guys!" she greeted, her mood bright. She swept up Grimlock as her song kicked into the chorus.

“Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart. You’re shaking my confidence daily. Oh, Cecilia, I’m down on my knees, I’m begging you please to come home. Oh, oh, oh.” She sang as she spun him around.

"Me Grimlock not Cecilia!" he complained. “Me Grimlock!”

Crystal laughed but then put him down when she saw Jazz and Prowl's long faces. "Tough day guys?"

"Tell me about it," Jazz said as he climbed up on the couch and slumped there dejectedly. "We didn't find a slaggin' thing."

Crystal leaned over the arm of the couch so she was almost eye to eye with him. "Maybe you just need a little more luck is all." She smiled secretively.

Jazz frowned at her. For once, he wasn't willing to reflect her good mood. She treated this thing like it was a game, just because they were little. She didn't understand that all their lives were in danger; that this was serious.

There was a thump from the closet space in the kitchen where the washer and dryer were stored. A robot just their size came around the kitchen counter and into the living room. The others just stared.

"Hey Crystal, I was only able to find this screw driver and these pliers. You got anything else?" asked the robot, lights on his head flashing with every word.

"Sorry," Crystal replied, though she was still smiling. "That's probably all I have."

"Wheeljack!"

The inventor looked up. "Oh, hey guys."

Jazz launched himself off the couch and tackled the inventor.

"Wheeljack, man! Where have you been?"

"Would you believe a fifth floor apartment overlooking Central Park?"

Prowl stared at Wheeljack and then up at Crystal.

"H... how?"

"Me tell you!" Grimlock crowed. "You never listed to me Grimlock! Her can find missing Autobots!" He pointed an indignant finger at Crystal and the others all stared at her.

"What?" Crystal said. "It was coincidence. I just felt like going home through Central Park and I happened to notice these kids were playing with these weird high-tech toys. So I asked one of them where they got it from and he said he had a little robot that made them for him."

"So you've been hanging with some little kids?" Jazz asked. "How was that?"

"Sticky," Wheeljack instantly responded. "I had no idea how messy prepubescent humans were until I got a hands on experience."

"I felt guilty for taking you home, though," Crystal told Wheeljack. "They looked sad to see you go."

"They'll survive. I left them plenty of things to play with. We have more important things to do, don't we?"

Prowl nodded.

"First thing I'm going to do is fix Blaster,” Wheeljack said. “He may be the key to helping us locate the other Autobots. And if he can transform, he'll be a big help to us-- no pun intended."

"Then you can fix my dryer!" Crystal chimed in.

"Sweet!" Jazz grinned. "Things are finally looking up! We'll find Prime and Ironhide in no time!"

"Oh!" Crystal announced as she just remembered something and pulled a stack off the table and presented it to Prowl.

"Wheeljack went to the library with me and we got you more books since you've already read all of mine."

Prowl looked dubiously at the stack and then at Wheeljack.

"I just helped her carry them," he insisted.

"Thanks..." Prowl said as Crystal set them by his feet.

She picked the top one and displayed the copy of _Catch 22_. "Read this first, I think you'll like it. I got some for you, too, Grimlock." She pulled some thinner, larger books from the pile and presented the children's picture books to the Dinobot leader. "Dinosaurs, see?" She opened one to a picture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "Look, it's you!"

Grimlock made a grunt of intrigue and took the books from her, curiously flipping through the pages.

"What about me?" Jazz asked eagerly, hands out. "Give me something to do!"

Crystal took a moment to think.

"Hm...oh! I know!" She ran off into her room and came back a while later, sitting herself cross legged in the middle of the living room.

"Sit here, Jazz. I'm going to tell you your future."

"For real?" Jazz sat across from her, staring at the deck of cards she had in her hands.

"Tarot cards?" Wheeljack said, looking up from where he was fiddling with Blaster's internal wiring. "That's just nonsense. No one can read a person's future--especially not with cards. It's impossible."

"Oh, a realist?" Crystal observed.

"I'm a _scientist._ There's no physical evidence to prove those things work."

"It's just for fun, anyways," Crystal defended. She asked Jazz to shuffle the cards and then arranged ten of them face down in a curious pattern. Then she pointed to the card in the middle.

"Okay, this one is the Jazz card. It represents you as a whole; how you are right now."

She flipped the card over to reveal the Fool card right side up.

"Hey!" Jazz protested.

"Wow, this _is_ pretty accurate," Wheeljack said. Thought he didn't believe in it, he had moved closer with Blaster so he could watch the card reading.

"No, no, no," Crystal insisted. "The Fool card means change or the beginning of something. So Jazz, this means you adapt easily when different things come your way. You also enjoy being spontaneous and surprises. You roll easily with the punches when they come your way.”

“Cool!” Jazz praised. “This is pretty neat! Do another one.”

“Okay.” Crystal grinned, grabbing the next card on the spread. “This card represents what’s going on in your life right now. And it looks like we have the Death card. This one means there have been abrupt changes in your life as of very recently.”

“You could say that!” Jazz laughed.

“Yeah, doesn’t quite take a deck of cards to see that,” Wheeljack muttered, not impressed.

Crystal ignored him. “These changes aren’t necessarily bad. Especially in light of the Fool card we already drew. With this change, just like any you’ve had, you’ll adapt easily and keep on going without letting it slow you down.

“Now this card represents your distant past.” She flipped over the card to reveal the Magician. The picture upside down. “With this picture like it is, this means there was a time in your past, Jazz, where you were unsure of what you were doing in your life. You were just floating around. I feel this is another aspect of your personality; you’ve never been good at making decisions for yourself. You prefer to let the people and events around you control what you do instead of working to build your own path in life.”

Jazz didn’t say anything to confirm or deny and Crystal turned over the next card.

“This one is your more recent past: the Temperance card.” She paused to think about the meaning. “I would suspect this indicates that you are currently content with where you are. Though you’ve wandered for a long time, you eventually found what you believe to be your niche in life. You have surrounded yourself with those you work well with and who bring out the best qualities in you and you in them.”

By then, Jazz was dead quiet and his visor was completely glued to the spread. He was listening to every word.

“And your best outcome for the problems in your life right now is...” she turned over the Three of Cups. “Oh this one definitely means a positive ending and also, it means something new will come of it. Maybe you’ll get a new perspective from your experience or new friendships.”

She winked at Jazz who shared with her a silly grin. Wheeljack shook his head and went back to fixing Blaster.

“Next comes your immediate future; something that is probably going to happen to you within the next few days.” She turned over the Five of Wands. “Well Jazz, it looks like things aren’t going to get easier from here.”

“What’s that mean?” Jazz asked. “You just said in the last card everything would be okay. That should mean we’ll be able to get back home and go back to normal, right?”

“Yes, but that’s not all. Everything has the potential to turn out okay, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a few obstacles in the way. This is a reminder that you still need to work hard and don’t slack off if you want everything to go as planned.”

“Hey Prowl!” Jazz called. “Come see this! I think Crystal just channeled you through these things.”

Prowl just grumbled something from his place at the table among his maps and didn’t look up.

“Be nice to Prowl,” Crystal informed him. “We’re not done yet over here. We’ve still got four more cards. This one– The Judgement Card-- is how you see yourself. It’s upside down Jazz. It seems you may not think too highly of yourself.”

Jazz slumped his shoulders.

“Don’t worry about it. We are always our biggest critics, right?” she said. “Basically what this is saying is that you sometimes feel guilty that, from your perspective, you don’t have anything worth while to bring to your circle of friends who, in your opinion, are all more capable than you are.

“However,” Crystal added as she turned the next card, revealing the Knight of Wands, “others think of you as very energetic and confident. Those who meet you usually find you likable, if a bit odd. But they are usually willing to stick around until they figure you out.”

Jazz threw another glance in Prowl’s direction, this one a bit curious. Prowl was still making a valiant effort to pretend he wasn’t listening.

“This second to last one tells us about your hopes and fears as far as the future is concerned.” Crystal turned over the Star card and she couldn’t help but smile at it.

“Well, it seems despite any personal doubt, you may have, you stay very positive about the future. You hope for nothing but good things for those you care about and are willing to work hard for them. And your final outcome is....”

She flipped over the last card, revealing the Wheel of Fortune card.

“Wow, you’re pretty much ruler of the universe, Jazz.”

“Yes!”

“No matter what you decide to do with yourself, it appears everything is aligned cosmically to help you out and always leave you on top.”

An ear-splitting squeal from the boombox ripped through the room. Crystal covered her ears in pain while the Autobots winced at the sound. Right after the scream, Blaster's voice boomed at them going a hundred miles a minute.

"Finally! It's about fragging time you guys fixed me! How dare you leave me on the counter all day! I was going out of my mind! Slag! What's wrong with all of you?! How can you just forget me? Just because I can't say anything doesn't me you can--"

"Sorry everyone," Wheeljack said when he turned off Blaster’s tirade. "I should have left him that way. Now Blaster, I'm not going to turn your vocal processor back on until you calm down, alright?"

He turned it on and for a moment, the radio was quiet.

"I hate you guys," Blaster said.

"Well we're just glad you're still fully functioning in there," Jazz laughed. "Sorry we forgot you, man. It's been crazy around here."

"I guess," Blaster grumbled. "So how about getting me to transform, Wheeljack?"

"Sorry Blaster, your transformation cog is melted solid. I'd need the equipment back at the base to fix it.”

"Frag it."

"Blaster," Prowl said as he came over. "Are you able to emit any kind of signal to the base that won't be noticed by the Decepticons?"

"No can do Prowl. Not while they've got Soundwave constantly combing every channel for a single peep from us. I can almost feel him daring me to send one microbit of information."

"Then we need to go to the base ourselves. We've been wasting valuable time here. No one knows what happened to us, or do they know about Megatron's plans. Right now his weapon only shrinks things. But if he can fix it again..."

"I don't think that will be a problem, Prowl," Blaster said.

Prowl paused. "Why not?"

* * *

 

 

Megatron was in a foul mood. Worse than it had been the day before when he was merely testy. Now it was nearing a venomous boil. From the beginning, nothing had worked. From his glorious ultimate weapon, to losing every Autobot, to now where his troops were stagnating in failure and restlessness.

The Autobots continued to elude them. One would think their new size would make them easy prey. But the Decepticons soon found that the minuscule size actually helped to hide them in the bustling city. And the longer it took, the colder their trail went. Certain members of his troops, mainly Starscream, were getting aggravated and demanding some course of action.

Megatron refused to leave. Optimus Prime was still in this city, he could feel it in every tube and microchip in his body. The Autobots were scattered. Optimus was not going to leave them behind. Megatron's best trackers were now hunting the Autobot leader exclusively. Every once in a while the trail would pick up and then disappear again. But Megatron would not give up. Optimus Prime had to be getting tired by now.

In truth, hunting the Autobot leader in secret was all Megatron could do. If he made his presence known, more Autobots would respond far faster and from all over the world. Not to mention the United States military would be on his back as well. The reality was the Decepticons just didn't have the energy to fend them all off. Which was why they had gone this route--trying to systematically take out small groups of Autobots one by one.

Megatron stalked down the underground tunnels. He still needed Soundwave to repair his weapon.

At the end of the tunnel was Soundwave's make-shift work shop. It was where he was supposed to be repairing the death ray. Instead, he currently had Frenzy laying on a table while he meticulously fixed the wiring in the tiny cassette's back.

"Hurry up, Soundwave," Rumble nagged as he wandered impatiently. “Fix Frenzy's fragile femme parts so we can get back out there."

Frenzy, who had one arm stuck in pile driver mode, swung at his twin with his good arm. "Shut up Rumble! I'll kick your slaggin' can!"

"Ha! In your dreams! Let me see you do it!"

Frenzy growled as he scrambled to his feet for a fight.

Soundwave, with the patience and precise discipline of a mother lion, effectively pinned Frenzy down with one hand while giving Rumble a good swat upside his head with the other.

Megatron waited as Soundwave finished his task. Once done, Frenzy sat up and was able to transforms his pile-driver back to his arm. Without so much as a thankful glance, he ran off with Rumble close behind.

"What is your command, Megatron?" Soundwave garbled as soon as his task was done.

Megatron glanced over to see the large cannon Soundwave invented still sitting against the wall. He picked it up, stroking its silver surface.

"Soundwave, I'm assuming since you've found time for menial repair duty then you have finished repairing my cannon?"

Soundwave paused. Megatron could send him searching his data banks for an answer. It was odd that it took him so long to process the question.

“Negative. No weapons have been repaired.”

Megatron frowned as he gripped the weapon. “You mean my magnificent death beam is still just a–“

Starscream strolled casually by the doorway just in time to hear his leader call out “Shrink ray?!” and the seeker screamed shrilly as it was fired at him. He stumbled back from the blast, brushing off blue light particles as if they were cooties. Nothing happened.

“Arg! Now it’s just useless!” Megatron barked, slamming a fist into the wall.

“How DARE you point that thing at me, Megatron!” Starscream shrieked.

He was ignored.

“Soundwave! Get to work repairing this thing immediately! I want it in proper working order by sun up tomorrow! Do you understand me?!”

“As you command, Megatron,” Soundwave said. He turned toward the table to begin his task; paused, and then turned back to acknowledge his leader as if he had just entered for the first time.

“What is your command, Megatron?”

Megatron stood in complete bafflement and then he clenched his shaking fists in rage when he realized what was going on.

* * *

 

 

“You erased his files?” Prowl asked. “That time during the fight–“

Blaster’s laughter rang through the living room. “I erased them good! I downloaded the plans for the weapon and then deleted every bit of memory Ol' Soundwave had relating to it. With any luck, that thing is so damaged, no one will be able to repair it.”

“Great job, B!” Jazz slapped the boombox on the back.

Blaster promptly fell forward on his speakers with a “Hey!”

“Whoops! Sorry, man.”

“Well done, Blaster,” Prowl said. “It definitely buys us some time. It’s probably the reason the Decepticons haven’t moved on. We’re certainly no threat to them as we are now. But if they don’t have a working weapon, Megatron’s plans are at a standstill.”

“Then that gives us time to find Prime and Ironhide,” Jazz put in.

“It also means the Decepticons aren’t doing anything else right now but looking for us,” Prowl said.

That statement sobered them up a bit.

“Pessimist,” Crystal accused playfully as she knocked Prowl’s shoulder with her fist.

“Hey, if we’re watching movies again tonight, can you at least point me towards the TV this time?” Blaster asked.

“I want to watch a movie with you guys,” Crystal announced. “Let’s put one in.”

As she flipped through her collection, with Jazz’s instructions on to what he had already watched, Wheeljack looks skeptical.

“So, we’re just going to settle in for the night just like that?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Blaster confirmed, “it seems to have become the routine. I’m just glad I’m finally a part of it.”

He then muttered something bitter to himself and Wheeljack shrugged. At least he wasn’t forced to recite Dr. Seuss to children tonight. It was a step up for him.

So Crystal spent the night eating popcorn she couldn’t share among her ever growing group of miniature robots. The movie they watched was full of explosions, danger, and true love. All things that made life exciting. Which was probably why Grimlock put down his dinosaur books and climbed up onto the couch, squeezing his tyrannosaur form between Crystal’s thigh and the arm rest. He rested on his stomach with just his head poking out like a skulking lizard.

Wheeljack threw Grimlock a curious glance. When Grimlock was his normal size, he stomped around and fussed about himself like he was a prom princess. Altogether, making himself a general pain in the rear. But now he seemed content to play the role of the quiet house pet. Was it merely the size that brought about this change? Wheeljack wondered.

Half-way through, Crystal noticed Prowl was still in the dining area, sitting at the table and going over his maps and notes. She stood –Grimlock instantly moving to the warm spot she left behind– and sat down at the table. Prowl didn’t acknowledge her arrival.

“So Prowl,” Crystal said softly as to not go above the sound of the movie. “Would you like me to tell your future?”

Prowl slowly looked up at her.

“Why do you ask that?”

Crystal pulled out her deck. “Out of everyone, you seem the most concerned with the future right now. So shuffle these.”

Prowl did so; his expression clear that he was humoring her and really just wanted to get back to work. He gave them back as almost a challenge for her to present something worth his while.

“Do you have any questions you want answered?”

Prowl gave her a look. “There’s only one thing I need to know right now.”

Crystal grinned. “Are you sure you aren’t interested to know about your love life?”

“No.”

“I know I am.”

“Crystal...”

“Alright party pooper. We’ll ask how we can find your friends.”

“Optimus Prime and Ironhide.”

“Yes.”

Crystal lay seven cards face down in a row; a different spread than she had used for Jazz.

“This first card represents your past.”

If Prowl had eyes to roll, he probably would have. Looking into the past, as far as he was concerned, was not going to help answer his questions.

“You’ve got the Justice card, Prowl. But it’s upside down. I would imagine it means there was a time in your past, where you were unsure of where you stood from a political or legal stand point. I’m assuming this is sometime before you joined the Autobots. Maybe you had some personal moral issues going on. Though possibly, you’ve overcome them by now and they are no longer issues for you any more.”

She turned over the next one, the King of Swords. “This is you now, this is the Prowl card. You are an advocate for making rules and sticking to them. You are of rational and alert mind with a great attention to detail and devotion to getting things done in a timely manner. You are dependable and have a high success rate at finishing what you’ve started.

“This next card represents your future.” Crystal stopped and examined the revealed Tower card on the table. “In your future there is going to be a sudden change–“

”But in Jazz’s reading, you read the sudden change going on right now,” Prowl argued. “Why is mine different?”

“So you were listening,” Crystal grinned.

“This doesn’t work.”

“Oh come on, just let me finish. You get a different reading because you have different questions than he does. And also because you’re a different person. That’s just the way it is. Now, this isn’t something in your immediate future; but more like say, in the next six months or so. There’s going to be a big, unexpected change in your life, or maybe a really large decision you’ll have to make. And it’s really going to throw off your normal routines and possibly not affect only your life, but those around you. In the beginning, it may feel like it was not a positive aspect in your life, but in the end, you’ll find it happened for the better.”

Prowl’s expression grew serious as he considered all the possibilities of what this thing could be.

“You’re making this up.”

“I am not!” Crystal blurted and was quickly shushed by Jazz, to which she repeated quieter. “I am not. I’m just reading what the cards say. If you don’t want me to do the rest then–“

”No, no. It’s fine,” Prowl sighed. “Just hurry and finish it.”

Though not encouraged by his attitude, Crystal went to the next card.

“This one is going to tell us what you should do about your current situation.”

She flipped over the Fool card and Prowl frowned again.

“Isn’t that the card you drew for Jazz? Does that mean I should ask him what to do?”

Crystal snorted. “No, it doesn’t mean to ask Jazz. The Fool card represents beginnings, changes and important decisions. Though in this instance, I feel it’s telling you to consider different ways of searching for your friends and to keep your options open.”

She flipped over the next card.

“The Eight of Wands tells me that now is a good time for you to continue to take charge and whatever you do decide to do, your friends will follow you. However,” she turned the next card to reveal the Hermit card face down, “you worry that your position separates you from your comrades. That they rely on you too heavily and in turn, cause you to be inclined to rely only on yourself. But the previous card states they are behind you so you shouldn’t hesitate to ask them if you want their advice.

“And lastly, your final outcome is...” She turned over the Death Card.

Prowl stared at her.

“Oh, don’t you even jump to conclusions,” Crystal quickly said. “The Death Card just represents changes. It’s probably saying what’s going on now is going to lead to some life changes. Possibly a different out look on life, or changes in your usual routine.”

“Or a permanent change in size,” Prowl grumbled. “You know these cards never told me whether or not I would find my comrades.”

“Well maybe they thought there was something more important coming that needed to be brought to your attention.”

Prowl shook his head. “You put your faith in odd things.”

“It’s just a game, Prowl. You don’t have to take it seriously.”

“Speaking of which,” Prowl recalled. “Jazz told me something interesting about you making a bet with fate about getting us home.”

“Jazz tells you everything, does he?

“He does. So explain this wager to me.”

Crystal held up her fingers. “Two days,” she said cryptically. “I have a car that’s in the shop. It’s going to cost me 600 bucks to get it out. I’ve got a little venture going on where I may get this money by then. If I can get the money and if I can find the rest of you by the time that car is ready, then maybe I can accept that not all of this is just coincidence.”

“So you really do believe in fate,” Prowl surmised.

“I’m trying not to.”

“I don’t.”

Crystal looked amused. “I didn’t ask if you did.”

“And I certainly don’t believe you can control the future with a deck of cards.”

Crystal rested her head on her folded arms. “Controlling the future and predicting it are two different things. Cards don’t have the power to make the future; cards aren’t fate.”

“There are no forces driving the universe,” Prowl insisted. “The future is what you make it. There is nothing else.”

Crystal gave a soft sigh. “If only it were that easy.”

 

 

 

 


	4. Day Four: Comes the Rain

****

 

**Small Problems**

 

**Day Four: Comes the Rain**

 

“Jazz. Jazz, what are you doing?” Prowl hissed in a hushed tone.

Jazz turned to look at him. He was standing Crystal’s room, only a foot or two away from where the human was sleeping peacefully. Jazz had Blaster’s radio form perched mischievously on his head.

“Just offering a complimentary wake up call,” Jazz grinned.

“Jazz,” Prowl spat again. “Blaster, don’t you dare.”

Blaster was lifted high out of his hands and Jazz looked up just in time to be smothered by a pillow roughly his size.

Crystal sat on the pillow, and Jazz, yawning as she placed Blaster in her lap.

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea, alright?” Blaster insisted. “I didn’t really have a choice.”

Crystal scratched at her bedraggled hair.

Jazz squirmed beneath her. “Hey! Your fat body is crushing me! Get off!”

“Oh hush,” Crystal said, shoving a smaller pillow in his face. She yawned hugely as she hunched over Blaster, resting her forehead on him.

“This serves you right,” Prowl told Jazz. “You deserve it.”

“I’m not complaining,” Blaster said within Crystal’s embrace. “This is kinda nice.”

“Oh, you guys don’t ever let me sleep. It’s like having children,” Crystal moaned.

She put Blaster down and staggered blearily out of the room. What she found in the bathroom, however, woke her right up.

“Argh! What is this?!”

Wheeljack and Grimlock looked up amidst the mess they made on the bathroom floor. All the contents from under the sink were spilled out everywhere.

“Tell me the purpose of this,” Wheeljack requested without guilt as he held up pieces of cotton and plastic.

“No... my tampons,” Crystal groaned. “Why did you– Grimlock!!”

The Dinobot paused from violently chewing a part of a box as he crouched beneath the sink. Crystal dove to inspect the ruined contents.

“Those were my contacts you dumb lizard! These are expensive! What were you thinking?”

“Crystal book say me Grimlock car-ni-vore. So me Grimlock hunt for prey.”

Crystal whimpered as she sank to the ground. “You guys can’t keep tearing up my stuff like this.” She looked over at Prowl who was now standing next to her. “Aren’t you in charge? Why don’t you stop them from doing this?”

“He’s been hiding in your room at night,” Jazz snickered behind her back.

Crystal gave a suspicious look to Prowl, who just turned and walked out. Then she set about cleaning up all the torn and ruined items and put them in the trash.

_Flush._

“Now what are you doing?”

“This must be a human waste disposal unit,” Wheeljack said in awe. “Organics have so many body functions.”

“Stop playing with that.” Crystal grabbed Wheeljack’s hand and pulled him away from the toilet.

“Honestly, I’m beginning to feel like I’m running a kindergarten– AHH!!!” Crystal suddenly screamed and flung herself to the opposite side of the room, pressing herself against the wall; eyes wide open.

Wheeljack was on full alert, weapons ready. “What? What happened?”

Shaking, Crystal pointed to the shower curtain.

Wheeljack looked up at the patterned drape of plastic. His sensors picked up a life form among the colors. He climbed up on the toilet lid and pointed to the large spider.

“This?”

The spider lurched higher and Crystal jumped back with a squeal.

“Get rid of it!”

Wheeljack reached out to grab the animal. “You’re scared of this spider?”

“Oh gross, Wheeljack! Don’t touch it! Kill it!”

The inventor hopped to the floor, letting the spider walk on his hand, causing Crystal to squirm.

“But it’s so small.”

“Don’t bring it over here!”

“According to my data banks, it’s not even a venomous species.”

“I said kill it!”

Wheeljack took a step forward. “But-”

“PROWL!!”

Prowl was instantly in the bathroom, ready to deal out justice where justice was needed.

“Make him take that thing far away from here!” Crystal ordered.

“But I’ve never been able to study a species this small before,” Wheeljack protested as he was escorted out by the arm. “This is a chance of a lifetime!” He continued arguing his case until Crystal heard the front door open and shut.

Grimlock, who had witnessed the whole thing, transformed into robot mode and stood over the girl, hands on hips.

“What you scared for? When you big, you no fear things smaller than you.”

Crystal sighed. “Just check to make sure there aren’t any more, Grim.”

He stood there for a moment. “Fine.” Grimlock stomped over to the tub and thoroughly checked everything over.

“It safe now to do....whatever.” There was a certain tone of disgust in his voice as Grimlock left the room.

Crystal poked her head back into the bedroom.

“Hey Blaster.”

“Yo.”

“You get left behind again?”

“Don’t I always?”

“Want to shower with me?”

“Are you kidding? That would make my whole day!”

From behind the locked bathroom door, Blaster found himself in a place the others weren’t allowed to go.

“Play me something good,” Crystal said as she undressed behind the shower curtain.

“Good as in good? Or good as in what you like to listen to?”

Crystal tossed her clothes on the floor. “Play me what I like and I’ll let you tell your friends I undressed in front of you.”

“Done deal.”

“Well that’s new.” Jazz looked up as he heard Crystal’s voice merrily sing along to _Hooked on a Feeling_. “I’m feeling left out.”

“I’ll never understand the human's urge to vocalize while they’re washing themselves.” Wheeljack shook his head.

When Crystal stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around herself, Prowl was waiting for her.

“I do it because I just need a break from them sometimes,” he informed her.

“You mean come into my room at night?”

“I just wanted a place where it’s quiet.”

“I don’t mind.” Crystal smiled, dropping a steam covered Blaster in Prowl’s hands. She closed the bedroom door behind her.

“She undressed in front of me,” Blaster informed him. “It was hot.”

* * *

 

 

Sideswipe and Bluestreak sat among a nest of boulders and trees, both agreeing they were getting sick of seeing boulders and trees. They stopped for a break in open farmland once, but the response of the sleepy country folk to their presence was not a positive one. The shot gun hole in Bluestreak’s trunk attested to that.

From then on they stuck only to the woodlands for the numerous breaks in travel the Dinobots demanded. In which it was now customary for them to, every couple of hours, run helter-skelter through the woods with an angry Brawn yelling and chasing behind them.

Sideswipe and Bluestreak had found it extremely amusing– the first couple of times. Now it was getting quite routine and the two were starting to tire of it.

“Do you think we should help him?” Bluestreak asked in a bored tone.

“Nah,” Sideswipe assured him. “I don’t wish to interrupt their bonding time. _Es bueno para el alma._ ”

Bluestreak’s internal communication system beeped. It was Ratchet.

“Bluestreak, what’s your status? Where are you?”

The gunner paused. “Um... hey Sideswipe, where are we?”

The red Lamborghini shrugged. “Do any of us know where we really are?”

Ratchet sighed. “Can you at least tell me how long it will be until you reach New York state?”

“Well, the Dinobots are kind of slowing us down, Ratchet.”

“The Dinobots? Bluestreak, put Brawn on the line!”

Bluestreak lifted his head to hear Brawn yelling every obscenity he could think of through the wilderness. The Dinobots, for their part, had no idea what any of it meant and were not offended. Hence, they continued to tromp merrily around and cause Brawn to yell louder.

“Uh, he’s busy right now Ratchet. Has any one else shown up at the base? Or have you heard anything from Prime or the other missing Autobots?”

“No. So far you’re still all we’ve got. So you and Sideswipe stop playing around and get up there!”

Ratchet cut the connection shrilly in Blustreak’s audio.

“Well?” the gray Datsun sighed. “Any ideas?”

“Give me some time to think. _El genio no puede ser apresurado_ ,” Sideswipe assured him.

Bluestreak slouched. “If you say so.”

* * *

 

 

The summer days had been hot lately. But today, the unrest of a pressure change could be felt in the air. Despite the clear sky, clouds huddled on the horizon, silently plotting a new course in the weather.

Parading through the summer bustle of the city was a tall, thin young woman with coppery hair pulled back into a long braid and wearing jeans under a faded summer dress. In one hand she carried a gray and orange radio. The other arm held a metal dinosaur. Behind her followed three small robots.

“Me Grimlock no understand why you need these,” Grimlock said as he reached for the glasses perched on Crystal’s nose with his small forearms.

Crystal tipped her head away from his grasp. “I have to wear them because you destroyed all my contacts.”

“Me Grimlock say they make you look funny.”

Crystal glanced back at the other three Autobots to confirm. All of them avoided her gaze.

“Well I’m sorry, but I have to use them so I can see.”

“You optics no work?” Grimlock demanded. “Have Wheeljack fix!”

“It’s not that easy, Grim. I doubt Wheeljack is familiar with that kind of surgery.”

“Well actually, I’ve always been curious about--”

“No,” Prowl and Jazz cut him off at the same time.

That time, Grimlock successfully plucked the glasses off her face. “Ha! Now you no see me!”

“I see you just fine. And now you’re walking.” She plopped the dinosaur none-too-gently on the sidewalk, stealing back her glasses before marching on ahead.

“I think you look cute in them,” Blaster put in.

Crystal raised the radio so she could face him. “You think so?”

“Oh yeah, you’ve got that sexy librarian thing going on.”

She gave Blaster a dubious look. “Do you talk that way to all girls or do you want something from me?”

Blaster laughed. “I’m just glad anyone is talking to me. So do have a boyfriend or what?”

This time, Crystal laughed. “Oh man, let me tell you, if a talking radio did it for me, Blaster, I’d be all set.”

“I think I’ll carry Blaster for a while,” Jazz announced, frowning in disapproval.

“Yo Crys! Don’t let him touch me!” the radio protested. “Why would I want to be handled by a mech when a lovely lady can hold me? By the way, feel free to hold me tighter. I don’t mind at all.”

Jazz ran in front of them, stopping Crystal in her tracks. “Give him to me now.”

Crystal grinned. “I don’t mind carrying him. I’ll carry you too if you want, Jazz.”

Jazz stopped to consider. But Prowl was already pushing him forward.

“He’s fine.”

“Okay guys,” Crystal then announced, “so what is your plan for today?”

“Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the– ouch!”

Prowl hit Jazz one more time for good measure.

“We will pick up where we left off in our search.”

“Anything you want me to do Prowl?” Crystal wondered.

“No, I’d rather you stayed out of it. I don’t want you to run into any more Decepticons. But if you could possibly take Blaster... and maybe Grimlock...”

“Me Grimlock no need to be--”

“For her protection.”

“Me Grimlock do it. Her helpless against small things. Need protection from me Grimlock.”

“Now wait a minute! I’m not that helpless!”

“And her blind.”

“I’m not blind!”

Prowl sighed. He was already tired and the day had barely begun. “Is it okay if you took them with you, Crystal?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. And Jazz knows how to reach me on my cell when you guys are done.”

Prowl nodded. “Don’t wait out for us if it starts to get dark.”

Crystal set Blaster down and crouched next to Prowl. The little Autobot looked surprised as she grabbed his hand.

“Hey,” she said gently, “it’s okay if you don’t push so hard. No one expects miracles and you can’t force these things to happen.”

Prowl gazed down at the human hand holding his and then raised his optics to meet her. “I can’t give up on them.”

“I know.” She tugged him closer and pulled him into a hug. “It will be okay.”

Prowl’s expression looked regretfully unswayed by her assurance, but his optics widened when she kissed the side of his face.

“Hey, Prowl’s not the only one who’s been looking all this time,” Jazz insisted.

“Of course.” Crystal smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Jazz was beaming long after it was over.

“That should keep your batteries charged.” Crystal laughed and lightly pushed his helmet. “Dork.”

She looked over at Wheeljack who signaled he needed no such luxury for himself. Then Crystal wished them all luck and waved them off before she, Grimlock, and Blaster went their own way.

* * *

 

 

It was Wheeljack's idea to go by the roofs. It allowed them to survey more ground and kept them from getting underfoot of pedestrians. Jazz was quick to point out that it still wouldn't do them any good if the Autobots they were looking for were inside or underground.

Prowl's door panels seems to sag as he peered over the city streets below him. Even he was beginning to be affected by their lack of results.

"I don't know what else to do," Prowl found himself admitting softly.

"The smart thing to do is leave behind some kind of clues to help the others locate us," Wheeljack offered. "But--"

"But," Prowl finished, “we have Laserbeak and Ravage to worry about. If the Autobots can find it, the Cassetticons can find it."

"I think we need to face the facts that the chances of finding Prime and Ironhide are slim to none," Wheeljack stated.

"We found you, didn't we?" Prowl shot back.

"No, that girl found me. And it was a lucky coincidence. But would it really be a bad thing if we left to get help? Those two can take care of themselves. We would have better luck with assistance from the other Autobots- normal sized Autobots. Then we wouldn't be afraid to use our radios and locating equipment."

"I don't leave mechs behind," Prowl insisted.

“Well what does Jazz think of all this?”

The two looked over to see Jazz gazing over the edge of the roof at the city.

“Jazz,” Prowl said. “Your input.”

He glanced over at them and shrugged. “Whatever you guys want to do is fine.”

Prowl raised a suspicious optic ridge at his friend’s unusual melancholy.

Jazz gave him a weak smile. “I really am bad at making my own decisions aren’t I? Not a good trait for a second in command to have.”

“Don’t do this just because of a few cards,” Prowl frowned. “I’ve seen you lead troops in battle. Don’t tell me you’re not good at making decisions.”

Jazz didn’t have a response for that and Prowl found himself going back to his own card reading from the night before.

“ _Isn’t that the card you drew for Jazz? Does that mean I should ask him what to do?”_

A stubborn look crossed Prowl’s face.

“What exactly do you want to do, Jazz?”

* * *

 

 

Crystal dug out her cell phone when it rang, curious of who would be calling her. The number was not listed but she answered it anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hey Crys, where are you?”

“Hey Four, I’m over at Central Park.” She paused. “Do you want to come play with us?”

“Yes!” came almost a plaintive voice. “We’ll be right down!”

* * *

 

 

A while later, three small Autobots could be seen strolling through Cental Park. They were given a few odd stares from various park attendees, but hardly bothered. It was, after all, New York City.

Crystal was spotted under a tree, Blaster sitting next to her and she happily waved them over. As they approached, they noticed she wasn’t alone. Two young human children, a girl and a boy, were hanging around her. The little girl was in a white summer dress with curly blonde hair pulled up in pig tails. She looked hardly older than three or four Earth years. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of them. She hurried over as quickly as her short, young legs could carry her. She rushed right past Jazz and Prowl toward their companion who had been hanging back since he first spotted her.

“Jack-Jack!” she squealed as she threw her arms around him clumsily.

“Hey Molly,” Wheeljack responded, not returning the embrace or the enthusiasm. “How are you?”

“I have a red popsicle!” the little girl grinned.

“I noticed.” Wheeljack inspected his back where the popsicle had left a smear. Further evidence was in her hand and dribbling down her chin on her white dress.

Molly then turned her attention to the other two Autobots who regarded her cautiously. This was the first time in their lives they had encountered a human the same size they were.

“You are Jack-Jack’s friends?”

“Yeah, Molly. They’re my friends. That’s Jazz and Prowl.”

Molly grabbed Prowl’s door panel with a sticky hand and pushed on it.

“You change into car, too?”

“Yes.”

“Wanna see! Change! Change!”

Prowl’s answer was obviously no before he even opened his mouth.

Jazz decided he was game to take one for the team. “Sure, lil lady! Check this out!” He sprinted a few steps and then dove forward, landing into car mode and racing around the little girl who squealed with glee and started chasing him.

While Molly was properly distracted, Crystal came over to lead Wheeljack to a drinking fountain to help him wash off the red hand prints.

“Yuck,” Wheeljack said as Crystal helped to rinse his back. “At exactly what age do humans stop drooling all over everything?”

Crystal laughed. “I think that depends on who you ask.” She moved to wash the hand print off Prowl’s door next.

“Wow! More of them!” Another young voice exclaimed. A boy of about seven ran over to them. “How many of you are there, Wheeljack?”

“Miniature size in New York? A couple more. Full size and looking for us? Hopefully a lot.”

“Cool! Can I meet the big ones?”

“We’ll see Trevor. It could be dangerous. It’d rather not put you or your sister in that kind of situation.”

“Aww...”

“Sorry, kid.”

“Well at least I got to meet a robot dinosaur! He’s the coolest ever!”

“Yes! Me Grimlock coolest ever!” announced the Dinobot as he approached.

“Cooler than anything you built us, Wheeljack,” Trevor agreed.

“I _did_ build him! And other Dinobots as well, I'll have you know.”

“There’s more? Woah!”

Prowl looked at Wheeljack. “So these are the children you were staying with?”

“Yeah, Molly and Trevor. Their parents are out of town for the week and their nanny spent most of the time trying to pretend I didn’t exist.”

“Who is over there reading a book while I do her job for free,” Crystal grumbled while glaring at a brunette about her age sitting under a tree. She looked as though she had never had a day's worth of real work in her life.

Then Crystal’s expression turned lighthearted. “Hey Trev, show Wheeljack what you’ve been working on.”

The boy’s eyes brightened and he grandly turned to Grimlock.

“Grimock, sit.”

The Dinobot sat on his haunches.

“Grimlock, roll over.”

He rolled.

“Grimlock, dance!”

Grimlock started with the Hustle which melted into some moves from the Macarena.

Wheeljack slapped a palm to his face. “He’s not a dog! He’s a massive battle machine! You can’t just--”

“Me dance if me want to, Wheeljack,” Grimlock informed him.

Right then, Jazz drove up and transformed into his robot mode.

“Yeah cuz your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance, they’re no friends of mine.”

“Yes! Not friend of me Grimlock!”

“Gotchoo!” Molly cried, jumping on Jazz’s back and taking her turn to get him sticky.

“Hey hey!” Blaster called from where he was sitting on the grass. “If you’re going to dance, do it over here! I’m lonely.”

The group migrated over to be closer to Blaster’s company. Crystal sat herself next to him while Jazz and Grimlock played with the children. Wheeljack wandered around to inspect his surroundings. Prowl stood next to Crystal, arms folded and silently watched Jazz run around.

“He’s got quite a bit of energy, even for a robot, doesn’t he?” Crystal commented as she followed Prowl’s gaze.

“He does,” Prowl agreed. “This sort of thing suits him better than battle.”

“So you guys weren’t gone too long. How did he persuade you to come back here anyway?”

Prowl’s door panels wilted a bit. “I... don’t know.”

“Well since you’re here why don’t you come sit by me and relax?” Crystal patted the grass next to her and, after a moment’s thought, Prowl complied. Though he still didn’t look too agreeable with it.

“Come on,” Crystal urged, patting the top of his helmet. “This is good for you. You need a break. If you don’t, you’ll burn yourself out. Besides, they say sometimes the best solutions come when you’re not thinking about them.”

It took a while, but Prowl slowly submitted to Crystal’s coaxing. Even he had to admit it was peaceful out here. The sounds of the Saturday park goers mixed with the hum of the traffic in the background was not entirely unpleasant. That combined with the soft grass and the lazy breeze seemed to calm the uptight mech. Before long, Prowl was laying in the grass, his head on Crystal’s leg, optics off. Every once in a while Crystal would ghost her fingers over his helmet or back in a comforting gesture. She wondered, with his metal skin, if he felt her touch at all. At least he didn’t seem to mind.

Eventually, the nanny of the two children decided to do her job and gathered them up to go home for dinner. Once again never acknowledging the robots they had played with all day. It was only mid-afternoon, but the park was shadowed due to a blanket heavy clouds floating overhead. With the children gone, Jazz wandered back to his friends.

“So, now what do you want to do?” he greeted loudly.

Crystal put a finger to her lips and indicated to the still form of Prowl lying beside her.

“I thought you said you guys don’t sleep,” she said quietly.

“We don’t,” Jazz confirmed, squatting next to her. “That’s different. He’s just turned off a few of his functions to conserve energy. Probably just trying to kill time until we do something worth his attention.”

“He’s resting,” Crystal insisted.

“Not Prowl,” Jazz argued. “He won’t really rest until this is all over.”

Wheeljack approached next, cupping something in his hands.

“Hey ‘Jack,” Jazz greeted. “Where ya been?”

“Just looking around.” Wheeljack came in close and opened his hands, revealing a large monarch butterfly. “This world is so small and intricate. At the size we were, we could never see these kind of things up close. Even in vehicle mode, we’re closer to their level, but it’s still not the same.”

The butterfly fluttered away and Wheeljack sat down, stretching his legs in the grass. Despite his lack of facial features, there was still something about the inventor that seemed serene, almost content.

“It’s just... different down here.”

A young man in shorts and a sporty top approached them and Crystal’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I noticed you have a collection there. I thought maybe this was

yours.” He had Grimlock in his hands.

Crystal popped right up, disturbing Prowl and hardly noticing he startled reaction.

“Uh, yeah. I guess,” she said in a nervous voice, reaching for Grimlock. “Sorry if he got in your way.”

“Nah,” the man smiled. “My friends and I were just playing soccer when he wandered in.”

“Heh, I know,” Crystal grinned stupidly. Boy, that guy was cute.

The young man paused. “Wait, you were watching us?”

Crystal froze. “Uh...”

Grimlock looked up at her. “You tell me Grimlock you want boyfriend. Me Grimlock get.”

The young man raised his arms. “Woah, I’m sorry. I already have a girlfriend.”

“Too bad for her,” Grimlock informed him. “You date this one now. Me Grimlock not going out to look for other boyfriend.”

“Grimlock!” Crystal grabbed his jaws, clamping his mouth shut before he said anything else.

The guy gave her a suspicious look. “You ask the dinosaur to pick up guys for you?”

Crystal was appalled. “I do no such thing!”

“Crystal,” Wheeljack said as he tugged on her dress. “My sensors indicate a rise in temperature and your face is an odd color. What does this mean?”

“It means we are going. Someone grab Blaster, quickly.”

She hastened away from them, one hand at the side of her face in a weak attempt to mask her mortification.

The guy continued to watch her leave, unimpressed. “You named your radio, too?” he called after her.

“Screw you, Jack! I like my name,” Blaster said as Prowl carried him off.

Surprised, the young man jumped at the expected retort and watched the parade of mini robots follow the young woman away.

“Oh, I have never been that embarrassed in all my young adult life,” Crystal groaned.

Right then, the clouds that had been looming over the city for some time finally broke open and spilled heavy rain. Though the July weather was warm enough that the rain wasn’t entirely unpleasant, Crystal still sighed.

“Of course this would happen now.”

Jazz grabbed her hand and led her across the street and under an awning, out of the weather.

“Think it’s going to slow up soon?” Blaster asked.

A peel of thunder racer overhead.

“Probably not,” Prowl frowned.

“Pessimist,” Jazz jeered, repeating Crystal’s tease from the night before.

Another boom of thunder rocked the sky. The rain fell harder.

Crystal sighed. “Let’s just go home.”

The streets were becoming less crowded as pedestrians ran for cover or hailed taxis. Likewise, the buses were overcrowded with people from the weather. Crystal decided not to bother and just make it home the old fashioned way. They were close enough to the apartments to be home in twenty minutes.

Prowl was leading the pack, confident of the way to go and comfortable in the position. He held Blaster up high as he attempted to jump a large puddle of water gathered at the curb. The rain hardly bothered him, but Prowl was looking forward to calling it a day, even though their efforts had not born any results. He hated it, but the odds had always been stacked against them. Continuing the same thing day after day did nothing but waste precious energy.

“Hey, stop Prowl,” Wheeljack called.

Prowl paused and looked behind him. Wheeljack and Grimlock were a few steps back and even further behind was Jazz holding onto Crystal’s hand, trying to move her forward. But the human was looking in a completely different direction.

“Hey, come on,” Jazz urged.

Crystal waved him off. “Wait. I heard it.”

“Heard what, Crys?”

“That sound. You know, that sound you guys make when you transform.”

All Autobots tensed and followed her gaze. It was hard to hear anything above the pouring rain. Jazz raised his audio input and combed the area with his visor. The rain was disguising everything– if anything was even out there. He couldn't pick up a trace.

“Come on, let’s just--” He reached up to grab her hand, but it was already gone.

Crystal was already half way across the street. She splashed once into a large puddle before hopping upon the curb.

"I'm going to check it out," she called over the traffic.

Jazz was still holding an arm aloof as if trying to summon her back to him. He watched helplessly as she disappeared into an alley. Prowl and Wheeljack came up behind him.

"What do you guys want to do?" Wheeljack asked. "If she's off on a wild goose chase, is it really worth the energy? She'll be right back when she doesn't find anything."

"What if she did hear something?” Prowl countered. “It's not impossible for there to be Decepticons in the area.”

"If there's Decepticons and we're found, well we just made their jobs a whole lot easier,” Wheeljack said. “Might as well put a bow on us because we're no match for them."

Still, every Autobot knew they had to go. Once the walk light turned green, they all quickly crossed in front of a surprised cab driver. Upon arriving, all they saw was a dilapidated building. Their human companion was nowhere to be found.

"We will proceed with caution," Prowl informed them. "We'll split into two teams. Grimlock is with me. If you don't find anything, meet back here in no less than twenty minutes. If something does happen, run. Try to get back to the apartment if you can without being followed. If that is not an option, get out of the city. Everyone understand?"

Even though they all knew the feeling of being lost in such a big world and were not looking to experience it again, they nodded.

"Blaster, you have to stay behind."

"No way Prowl! Don't leave me here, man! That ain't cool!"

“I’m sorry, it’s too dangerous.” Prowl took one last look at Blaster before covering the radio with debris. “Keep silent. We will be back for you.”

The group of four Autobots split up into their two parties and slipped into the darkness, the rain disguising their trail.

Jazz led the way with Wheeljack close behind. Every sensor he dared to use was open. Even with his extra sensory however, it was difficult in the rain. The water pelted hard on his metal frame, the sound drowning out everything else. But he felt the ground tremble beneath them and that was something even the weather couldn’t disguise.

“Did you feel that, Wheeljack?” Jazz whispered.

“Yeah, Crystal’s hunch was right. I’d bet my transistors that Rumble or Frenzy are around here somewhere.”

“Hopefully, not both,” Jazz added.

“And hopefully nowhere near that girl.”

The two proceeded cautiously. The area was old and run down. Though once apartment homes to many families and college students, now only home to rats and alley cats.

Wheeljack pointed to a dark brown building that still had most of its windows intact.

“Over there, Jazz.”

Jazz looked. At first he didn’t see anything. But then flashes of light flickered inside the bottom level of the building.

Laser fire.

They climbed in through a broken window and took cover in the lobby behind a moldy desk. Jazz’s sensitive audios told him there was definitely movement in the building. He motioned for Wheeljack to move to the next room.

Past the lobby the place had been entirely gutted. Only thick support beams were standing in rows throughout the building. The rest was empty. From the floor below, both Autobots could pick up loud shuffling and the high squeal of laser rifles. They nodded to each other, realizing they would have to find a way to the basement.

Their search revealed a stairwell with the door hanging off its hinges. Carefully they descended into the darkness of the building’s basement. There were no windows below and it was pitch black. There were sounds of a battle below them and every once in a while a streak of laser fire lit up the area like lightning.

Then, as they reached the bottom, silence.

Wheeljack and Jazz hunched on the bottom step, on the precipice of utter darkness. When nothing else happened, Jazz slowly slipped off the last step and peeked around the corner. It was utter blackness in the room and still no sound. He took a few steps with Wheeljack close behind him.

Once in the darkness, Jazz picked up the sound of heavy metallic feet walking around. He switched on his night vision and saw both Rumble and Frenzy pacing around what looked to be a gaping hole in the floor. They brandished their weapons, taking potshots of whatever was in there. Jazz surged in fear, that better not be Crystal down there.

He raced toward the Decepticons, but something grabbed him, lifting him off the ground and clutching him tight. A hand went over his optics and Jazz could instantly tell the body he was being pressed against was not made of metal.

“The light,” a shaky voice breathed in his audios, “they can see it.”

Jazz realized his mistake. In the pitch any optic light would give his position away instantly. He switched off his optic band, keeping just the night vision radar active. The person holding him had to be Crystal. That meant someone else was in the hole- most likely some other bot. Though it was hard to hear what the Decepticons were doing now over Crystal’s wildly beating heart pounding into his back

Jazz could feel the human girl’s body shaking as she carefully put him down. He was about to suggest she get out of there when Crystal was no longer next to him. In the darkness there was the sickening sound of flesh hitting metal— heavy and dull against the pillar’s sharp twang. There was a scraping sound and another thud on a pillar further down.

“Hey Frenzy, I thought I heard another Autobot, but it’s this human! What do you think I should do with it?”

Jazz’s fuel pump was racing. Even with his night vision, he was afraid to peer out for the Decepticon’s positions. He had to help her, but he didn’t have a plan-- especially one that had a chance of them all living through this.

“Make it scream, Rumble,” Frenzy’s voice cackled further away. “I like it when they do that.”

That was it. Jazz had to do something. He had to save her life even if it cost him his own. He jumped out from behind the pillar, weapon ready. With his night vision, he saw Rumble just in time for the Decepticon to drop his victim and arch backward in pain. Rumble shrieked, smoke rising from his back.

“What’sa matter now?” Frenzy demanded.

“Acid!” Rumble cried in pain. “It’s eating through my armor!”

He flopped on the floor among the dust and grime and tried to rub it off while Frenzy broke into high pitched laughter.

Jazz felt a glimmer of hope. Acid pellets meant…

Yes, there he was. Prowl was crouched behind a pillar close to the two Decepticons.

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and Jazz turned to see Grimlock with Wheeljack next to him.

“Do as me Grimlock say. Him Prowl have plan.”

* * *

 

 

“Shut up Frenzy! Slag, this really hurts!” Rumble barked at his laughing brother.

But Frenzy wasn’t showing any sign of letting up. That is, until his chest started hissing smoke and he, too, began yelping in pain.

Prowl, Jazz, and Grimlock came out of their hiding places, weapons firing at full force. Blinded by pain, rage, and the opportunity to slag them some mini Autobots, the two Cassetticons took the bait. They thundered after the fleeing Autobots, tearing up the door way and the walls as they clamored up the stairs and out of the building.

The pitch dark of the basement fell silent, save for a strained, shaky breathing somewhere near the wall. A pair of light blue optics came out of the darkness and up to the curled figure on the floor.

“Crystal, are you okay?” Wheeljack asked. The light fins on his head blinked with each word, lighting up the blackness.

She was conscious, but clearly shaken; laying with her knees pulled up to her chest.

Wheeljack had to touch her to get a response. “Crystal, talk to me. Are you damaged?”

She shifted, trying to sit up with shaky arms. “I’ll be okay. Just give me a moment.”

“Okay, stay here. I have to check something out.”

Wheeljack ventured towards the corner where Rumble and Frenzy had huddled earlier. There, the floor had rotted away, exposing the building’s foundation several feet below. Wheeljack peered over the edge.

“Anybody--”

A laser blast shot out, nearly taking Wheeljack’s head off. He ducked out of the way in time, but was still able to see who shot at him.

“Darn it, Ironhide! It’s me!”

The hole was quiet for a moment.

“Wheeljack?”

Wheeljack dared to peer over the edge again. “Yeah, it’s me! Who did you think it was with these?” He pointed to his head fins.

“Sorry Wheeljack. I get a little trigger happy when Decepticons twice as big as me are after my life.”

“Well it’s not over yet,” Wheeljack told him. “We need to get out of here now. Can you get out?”

Ironhide climbed over the debris littering the ground. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to climb on. As high as Ironhide could go was still a few feet short of Wheeljack’s hand.

“Hold on Ironhide, I’ll find some rope or--”

Crystal crawled up next to him and, laying on her stomach, stretched a thin arm out to Ironhide.

“Jump,” she commanded.

He jumped. She caught his hand and pulled him up.

“Now let’s get out of here,” Wheeljack said.

“I can’t see anything,” Crystal admitted. “Unless Wheeljack is talking.”

There was a chuckle from Ironhide.

“Come on.” Wheeljack grabbed her hand and led her toward the stairs. Only a few steps in told them they could not get out that way. The door way had collapsed from Rumble and Frenzy’s exit. They had torn up everything on their way out, probably to keep their captive from escaping while they were gone.

Wheeljack could hear Crystal’s breathing pick up as she pawed the barricade. She was beginning to panic. He grabbed her hand again and pulled her back down the stairs.

“Come on, I think this place has an elevator.”

Not far from the stairs, there it was; though it had long since been out of commission. The two Autobots pried the doors open. The elevator car had either been removed or was somewhere above them. Roaches and a large rat scattered from the shaft, causing Crystal to jump. But then she stepped forward and grabbed the cord hanging in the middle and began to climb. She wanted out of there now.

Her progress was slow, but the Autobots didn’t push her. Wheeljack started to wonder if maybe she had been hurt. She had gotten so quiet.

“Crystal, are you doing okay up there?”

“You better not be looking up my dress,” came the smart remark.

“Why would I want to?” Wheeljack retorted. “Plus you’re wearing pants underneath. I think it’s more than just your eyes that are broken.”

“I’m not broken! Hey, I see light!”

Below him, Ironhide climbed over Wheeljack, with a few protests from the inventor, and grabbed Crystal’s leg.

“Swing me over there, darlin’ and I’ll open it for ya.”

Crystal grabbed his hand and carefully helped him swing to the ledge of the elevator door. It was rusted open about an inch, allowing the sparse light from outside to spill into the shaft. Ironhide wedged his fingers in the crack and pried the doors apart with a shrill hiss of metal.

Wheeljack was grabbed next and tossed onto the main floor before Crystal reached a foot out and gingerly balanced herself on the ledge. Wheeljack and Ironhide pulled her in.

“Now, we’ve got to get Blaster and get out of here as fast as we can,” Wheeljack said. “They won’t be able to keep Rumble and Frenzy busy for long.”

“Ya’ll got Blaster, too?” Ionhide asked as they ran out of the building.

“Blaster, Prowl, Jazz, and Grimlock,” Wheeljack confirmed. “The only one we haven’t found is Prime.”

“Well melt me down fer a toaster, you boys have been busy!”

Wheeljack led them to where Blaster had been stashed and Crystal pulled him out, hastily brushing the dirt off.

“Blaster, are ya stuck that way?” Ironhide asked incredulously.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” the radio retorted.

“Where to now?” Crystal asked. “How do we help the others?”

“We don’t,” Wheeljack told her. “Prowl’s orders were to get you home.”

Crystal dug in her heels as Wheeljack pushed her forward. “But-“

“But nothing. Those are my orders. If we show ourselves to the Decepticons now, everything will have been for nothing.”

Wheeljack grabbed her hand, looking up at her. “They will meet us back at the apartment if they can. If they can’t do it without being followed, they’re to leave the city. And we’re supposed to continue on schedule whether they come back or not. Those are our orders and we follow them.”

Crystal took one last look back the way they came and allowed herself to be led home. It was a miserable trek with the rain still pouring and all of them covered with mud and filth.

“So what have you been doing all this time Ironhide?” Wheeljack asked to make small talk.

Ironhide grunted. “Runnin’ from Decepticons, what else? Don’t tell me you all have been attendin’ tea parties while I’ve been trying not to get my aft shot off!”

“Well, I don’t think we’ve had quite as much trouble as that,” Wheeljack admitted. “Not until today. Though it should be smoother sailing from now on. All we have to do is find Prime and this girl really has a knack for discovering Autobots. She’ll find Prime for us.”

Ironhide looked up at the rain soaked girl, optics wide. “No kidding.”

“It’s a coincidence,” Crystal muttered darkly, hugging herself. Her soaked hair plastered her face. “I’m not an Autobot tracker. It’s just been blind luck.”

Ironhide looked to Wheeljack, who shrugged.

* * *

 

 

As they shuffled into the apartment, Crystal immediately herded them to the bathroom. All of them were caked in gunk from the old building. The rain had only turned it to mud.

“I’m not sure if this is entirely appropriate, ma’am,” Ironhide said as Crystal climbed into the tub with him and Wheeljack.

“It’s appropriate for the sake of my carpet and furniture,” Crystal retorted. Still fully dressed, she reached up to turn the shower head on them all.

Wheeljack was thankful for the group shower. As Crystal washed off the grime, he could get a better look at her skin for any cuts or blood. Crystal had insisted she was fine, but Wheeljack assumed she wasn’t one of those people who admitted that sort of thing. And he was sure Prowl would want a full damage report on all of them if he was able to make it back.

The human girl seemed to be fine. Though Wheeljack found it a bit unlikely she survived an encounter with Rumble completely unscathed, he had to accept it.

Once they were clean, Crystal kicked the Autobots out of the tub so she could slip out of her soaked clothes and continue with a real shower. Once done, she peeked out of the shower curtain and immediately found Wheeljack sitting on the bathroom floor with her bra in his hand. He was pulling out the wires.

“What are you doing?!” she demanded, wishing she had a towel within reach so she could punt him across the room.

As usual, Wheeljack had no sense of the trouble he was in, nor did he sound the least bit remorseful as he held up the article of clothing.

“Tell me the purpose of this apparatus.”

* * *

 

 

Jazz waited. He waited and waited, just as he had learned to do. There was no taking chances with this one. No doubt Rumble and Frenzy had called Ravage and Laserbeak in on the hunt. With trackers as good as those two were, Jazz would have to pull every trick he knew to get them off his tail.

The rain helped immensely to hide his trail. For hours Jazz doubled back and hid in different places to make sure he wasn’t followed. His flight took him further around the city than he had ever been before.

He had been running since mid afternoon and Jazz was still running well past dark. When he was finally satisfied that any pursuers were good and lost, he started back for Crystal’s apartment. Exhausted, Jazz fought to not drop his guard as he found his way back. Stumbling up the steps, he hardly put an effort to knocking on the door.

There was thumping on the other side and then the door flew wide open.

“Jazz!”

Crystal swept him up as if he were a long lost child and happily carried him inside. Jazz didn’t mind one bit. He was finally home.

* * *

 

 

Grimlock showed up sometime later, caked in filth and smelling foul. He insisted it helped him hide, but Crystal rushed him to the tub nonetheless.

Long after that, there was still no sign of Prowl. Crystal wandered around her apartment in agitation which was, Wheeljack informed Jazz, what she had been doing the entire time he and Grimlock were missing, too. Jazz attempted to talk to her and persuade her that Prowl could take care of himself and that pacing around wasn’t going to bring him back sooner.

Crystal then resigned to sitting out on the balcony with a blanket and watched the city lights in the distance. Thought it was summer, the rain had significantly reduced the temperature and it was now after 10 PM. The Autobots were starting to worry about the human sitting outside in the chill but weren’t certain what to do about it.

Finally, Ironhide popped his head out the door.

“Alright, yer’re done out here,” he informed her with his usual gruff voice. “Get yer can back inside before ya freeze it off!”

At first, Crystal looked surprised at the tone used toward her. But she quickly seemed to understand that it was Ironhide’s way and allowed him to pull her inside. She opted to curl up on the couch next to Jazz, who was in the middle of his nightly movie marathon.

Ironhide and Wheeljack, who were not as interested in movies, sat around Blaster and discussed in low tones what their next course of action would be if Prowl didn’t come back.

Grimlock wandered to the couch and looked up at Crystal. “You not watch movie?”

Crystal tore her gaze from the window. “Huh?”

Though in dinosaur mode, Grimlock attempted to climb up on the couch with his small forearms. Crystal helped him up and he settled in her lap.

“Prowl not lose to stupid Decepticons,” Grimlock told her. “Him smart. Him strong. Not strong like me Grimlock, but him Prowl know what he doing. Him come back.”

Crystal smiled at him. “If you say so, Grim.”

“Me Grimlock say so!”

Crystal pulled her blanket tighter around the two of them and settled in.

“Hey, I want in, too,” Jazz pleaded, tugging on the blanket. He burrowed under it and came up on the other side to snuggle against the human body and contentedly continued to watch his movies.

“That girls’ gonna sissify all of us if we’re not careful,” Ironhide mumbled as he watched Jazz and Grimlock with disapproval.

“We won’t be here much longer,” Wheeljack assured him. “Plus I think this has been good for Grimlock. Crystal constantly interacts with him. It’s making him more social. I’ve also noticed he’s been easier to deal with while Prowl’s been calling the shots.”

Ironhide scratched his chin in thought. “Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Dinobots give Prowl any lip. They sure don’t listen ta Prime and I’ve even seen them chase off Jazz a couple 'a times. But they listen ta Prowl, don’t they? I wonder how he pulls that off.”

“I’m sure he has his ways.”

“Dude, Prowl’s one scary motha’ when he wants to be,” Blaster informed them. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they just don’t want to be on his bad side.”

“Maybe,” was all Wheeljack said. He picked up a screwdriver.

“Where ya goin’ with that?” Ironhide asked.

“I promised Crystal I would fix her dryer.”

Ironhide huffed. “Shoot. Ya’ll gonna be doin’ her hair and paintin’ her nails before ya know it.”

* * *

 

 

It was so late that the birds were chirping at the first sign of light over the horizon. The apartment door was quietly unlocked and eased open as Prowl came in.

“Hey Prowl, what’s doin’?” Blaster asked. He was stationed next to the couch so he could watch the TV.

Up on the couch, Crystal was sleeping. On top of her was Grimlock, laying on his stomach, tail by her shoulder and nose on her hip. He looked something akin to a large lizard sunning himself on a rock.

“She tried to stay up for you.”

Prowl jumped as Jazz seemed to come out of nowhere.

“I see. And where are Wheeljack and...?”

“Ironhide? They’re somewhere else. Didn’t want to watch _Pretty in Pink_ with me.”

“Ah. So we still need to locate Optimus Prime.” Prowl paused as he noticed an unmarked video tape in Jazz’s hand. “What’s that?”

Jazz grinned. “We’re going to find out.”

He had just finished hooking up the VCR and popped the tape in. The screen was instantly filled with a fuzzy amateur picture and faded sound. It was someone’s backyard, in which a largely built man was play-fighting his daughter. Her boxing gloves were impossibly too big for her and her hair was an unusual shade of apricot.

“Come on, Crys. Go for the knock out!” the man on the tape encouraged. He stuck out his chin and the girl awkwardly bumped it with her large glove. He pretended to fall over in a dead faint.

“Ha ha. Did you beat up Daddy?” came a feminine voice from the person holding the camera.

“Yeah, I beat Daddy!” the little girl cheered.

Jazz looked at Prowl. “Must be her parents.”

“I wonder where they are,” Prowl mused.

Jazz shook his head as Prowl gave him a questioning look.

“Children don’t keep the home movies if their parents are still around, Prowl,” he whispered.

A hand reached out and clapped itself on Prowl’s helmet. He turned around to see Crystal was awake.

“Hey, glad you're alright,” she said softly. “I was worried.”

Prowl gave her a tight smile. Crystal’s gaze wandered over to the TV. “They went skiing and the roads were bad. They took a turn too tight and slid off the road into a tree. I was nineteen when it happened so I knew how to take care of myself. Still, it’s hard sometimes going at it when it’s just you.”

She sat up carefully as not to disturb Grimlock. “So we’ve almost got everyone now.”

Prowl nodded. “Yes. And if we hadn’t come back to spend time at the park, we may not have found him.”

Crystal just shrugged. “It happens. There’s been stranger coincidences.”

Prowl looked suspicious. “I suppose.”

Crystal grinned at him and he looked even more suspicious.

“What?”

“I’m going to hug you,” she warned.

Prowl took a step back as Crystal pounced.

As he heard Prowl struggle against more affection than he was used to, Jazz went to turn off the movie.

“I’m gonna be a fighter like Daddy!” announced the little girl on screen.

“Are you sure?” asked her mother’s voice. “There are so many other things you could do, too. Don’t you want to look around and see what else there is?”

“Nu uh! I’m gonna fight!”

Jazz pushed stop on the VCR and gazed back at the group. Prowl was trying to squirm out of Crystal’s embrace while Grimlock had rousted himself and was clamoring over both of them saying “Me Grimlock tell you so!”

It was countless years before Jazz could remember a time when he was not surrounded by others. Especially after he had joined the Autobots and even more so when they had crashed in the Ark. That crew had become his family. What would it feel like to have that family suddenly taken away and have to start all over again? How lonely those walls would feel if it only heard the sound of his own voice every day.

He ran and jumped into the midst of his friends earning laughter and protests from everyone. Their stay here was coming to an end but Jazz wanted to fill these walls with noise just a little bit longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Day Five: Part One

**Small Problems**

 

**Day Five, Part One: The New Grimlock**

 

He lifted his head as the sun spilled over the New York skyscrapers like the warm kiss of a goddess. It was one more night he had lived through. One more nightmare of darkness and shadows survived. Which now meant one more day completely alone.

Optimus Prime crawled out of his hiding place and stowed the energy blaster he had been clutching through the night. It had been a long time since he had nights like these: hiding from the shadows, being hunted mercilessly by the enemy. It had been a _very_ long time since he had been by himself for so long.

Five days. Five days of running from Decepticon trackers by night and searching fruitlessly for his missing team by day. If the others had already been found, he had no way of knowing. Megatron would hunt him down even if he was the last one.

Also, for the first time in a while, Optimus had no idea what to do. Without knowledge of the whereabouts of his team, he was finding it difficult to make a decision. He had forgotten how much he relied on his officers to formulate his strategies. He no longer had Ironhide to insist on the bold, direct approach; Prowl to offer the prudent route; and Jazz to put it all in lighthearted perspective.

Without them, Optimus Prime was finding himself regrettably lacking in a plan. His constant searching and running was also depleting his energy reserves. As much as he felt now would be an expedient time to leave the city and attempt to contact any other Autobots that may be looking for him, he just couldn’t bring himself to abandon his team.

Without anyone else to tell him to do otherwise, Optimus Prime stuck to his gut. Though tired, he started off again in search of his team; in search of his friends.

* * *

 

 

Ironhide surveyed the scene, hands on his hip.

“Okay, so how do we do this?”

“Hey man, let her sleep,” Blaster said in a hushed tone. “Wait for Prowl or Jazz to-”

Ironhide was already climbing up on the couch where Crystal has fallen asleep only a few hours earlier. “Well Prowl and Jazz aren’t here right now and we need this little Autobot locator to find Prime.” He perched on the arm rest over her head.

“What you doing?” Grimlock asked as he came into the room in dinosaur mode.

“We gotta get this gal up and look fer Prime,” Ironhide said as he patted Crystal’s cheek.

“Hm. Not good idea for Ironhide to do that,” Grimlock surveyed.

“Well why not?” Ironhide demanded. “I-”

Crystal suddenly grabbed him, rolling over to face the back of the couch. Ironhide made a sound of surprise before the girl’s arm locked him in place.

“Me Grimlock warn you.”

“What on Cybertron–Wheeljack! Help me outta this!” Ironhide struggled to get free, but he was in a position that didn’t allow him much leverage.

Wheeljack shook the human by her shoulder. “Hey, come on. Time to wake up.”

With one arm still around Ironhide, Crystal reached out her free arm and tapped Wheeljack on the head as if hitting the snooze button on an alarm.

“It’s too early, Blinky Head. Just a while longer...” She rolled back over, snuggling up to Ironhide.

Prowl and Jazz walked in just in time to hear Wheeljack protest.

“My name is not Blinky Head and I am NOT your alarm clock!”

“Prowl, Jazz,” Ironhide called as he squirmed. “Tell her ta let go ‘a me. She don’t look it, but she’s got a grip of steel!”

Prowl looked thoughtful, wondering if it was too soon to bother her. Grimlock poked his snout at the small of Crystal’s back where her shirt had slid, showing her waist line.

“It wrong color,” the Dinobot complained.

Unsure of what he meant, Prowl ventured to pull the shirt up a bit more. The skin on her back was now a sickly green color and further up, it darkened into deep purple bruises. This damage came from the incident the day before when she had been slammed against those metal pillars.

“I think I’m gonna have to pay Rumble back for this,” Jazz growled lowly.

Prowl inspected the bruising in fascination. He had never seen human injuries up close like this before. He lightly touched a purple spot and then slowly pressed in.

Crystal sucked in a breath, suddenly sitting up, hair all over her face. Ironhide scrambled away while he had his chance. The girl looked around her, still disoriented from sleep.

“What?” she asked in a scratchy voice.

“Your back is all dinged up,” Jazz said. “Does it hurt?”

Crystal shifted her shoulders and groaned. “I can feel it.” She tried to look down the back of her shirt over the shoulder, but it was near impossible to see the damage. So she turned and revealed her back to the Autobots.

“How does it look?”

“Colorful,” Jazz said. “Kinda green and purple.”

“How purple?” Crystal sighed.

“Eh...” Jazz tipped his hand in a so-so gesture.

“Is the skin broken anywhere?”

Prowl inspected closer. “I believe it’s intact.”

“Good. I should be okay for tonight then.” Crystal shifted and made a face. Everything in her head felt like it was starting to clog up. She hoped she wasn’t getting sick from being out in the rain.

“Okay, I’m going to get dressed.” She stood and went to her room before Prowl could ask what their plans were for the day. Instead of dressing, however, Crystal plopped on her bed and fell back asleep.

* * *

 

 

“Ratchet.”

_Poke. Poke._

“Hey. Hey Ratchet!”

Ratchet came online with a start, almost falling out of his chair. It took him a moment to focus his optics on the yellow and blue blobs standing over him. Sunstreaker and Tracks.

“Woah, you look awful,” the former said. “How long have you been sitting here at the control center?”

Ratchet groaned as he straightened his back with a few metallic pops. “Since I sent your brother and some others off to New York City after Prime's team. That was...” He checked his chronometer. “Two days ago.”

“Lucky dogs,” Tracks put in. “New York is my town.”

“What about Prime and those guys?” Sunstreaker asked. “Still nothing from them?”

Ratchet sunk back into his seat, staring at the ceiling. “I wish. That place is turning into a veritable black hole. Bots go in, but they're not coming out.” He paused. “Where is the rest of your team?”

“Probably still in the Middle East somewhere,” Sunstreaker shrugged.

“Don’t expect them any time soon,” Tracks added. “There’s a war going on over there. Getting through customs, even for Autobots, is complete murder.”

“Then how did you two make it back?” Ratchet asked, his face suspicious.

“It’s all business, my friend,” Tracks answered with a confident smile. “Do some favors for the right people and you can make things happen. Before we knew it, we were on a plane headed stateside.”

Ratchet sighed. “I don’t even want to know what you two had to do for that.”

“I couldn’t stand it there any longer,” Sunstreaker said. “With all the sand in my gears and the dry heat, and then the ocean air stripping my paint.”

“Not to mention all the insects in my grill from about four different countries,” Tracks piped in. “It took me almost an hour to clean it out.”

“I soaked in solution for at least two.”

Ratchet, who had been listening to their complaints with mild interest, suddenly stiffened. “Wait a minute. You two have been here for a while?!”

Tracks returned his angry glare with a mild look. “About half a day, yes.”

Ratchet boiled, too outraged to form words.

“Hey,” Sunstreaker announced, oblivious. “Let’s head on over to New York ourselves and see what’s going on. If we missed all the hard stuff, we can just stay and see the sights.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Tracks agreed as they both turned their back on Ratchet’s fury. “I have friends there I haven’t seen in ages. I’d love for you to meet them.”

In his irritation, Ratchet reached for the first tool he could get his hands on and flung it at the two retreating Autobots. It ricocheted off Tracks’s back with a loud twang. Tracks stiffened as Sunstreaker gasped loudly, his hands covering his mouth.

Tracks clenched his shaking fists. “Ratchet, you didn’t just...”

“Now hold on, hold on,” Sunstreaker said in that tone one uses to talk down terrorists. “Let me inspect the damage.” He carefully looked over where the offending object had impacted. “Oh, that’s just a small ding. I can easily buff that out before we go. Come on.”

Sunstreaker herded him out the door, knowing full well Tracks would not win if he chose to take on Ratchet that day. The medical officer just sighed when they left and plopped back in his chair, rubbing his face tiredly.

“Primus, let this nightmare be over soon.”

* * *

 

 

“O-oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light?”

Out on the balcony, Crystal greeted the mid morning sun by placing a hand on her heart and singing to the American flag that was hanging on the balcony.

“What so proudly we hail at the twilight’s last gleaming.”

“Who’s broad stripes and s–bright stars,” Jazz fumbled to sing with her. “Over something and fight. What the.... something we watched. And I don’t know the words.”

Grimlock chimed in, obviously not knowing the words either and just singing what he felt like.

“And me Grimlock is king! O-ver everything! And me Grimlock is king! Bow to Grimlock, he king!”

Prowl stood with them, right hand on his chest in silent dignity as Crystal led them to the end.

“O~oh say does that start spangled banne-er yet wa-ave?”

“Oh, I know this part!” Jazz chimed in more confident. “O’re the la-and of the free and the home of the brave! Play ball!”

Crystal laughed. “Play ball isn’t part of the national anthem.”

“It’s not?” Jazz demanded.

“Uh, no. But happy Fourth of July you guys.”

From inside, Ironhide snorted. “That girl’s got them all wrapped around her little finger. It’s disgusting.”

Wheeljack just shook his head and continued to watch the Discovery Chanel.

“What mean this Fourth of July?” Grimlock asked as they came inside. “Why it big deal?”

“It’s our Independence Day, Grim. It’s a very big deal,” Crystal insisted. “Many people died so we could live here, free to make our own decisions. Weren’t you built over in Oregon?”

“Yes. Me Grimlock built on Earth.”

“More importantly, built in the US,” Crystal corrected. “That makes you an American citizen. You should learn your country’s history.”

Grimlock looked thoughtful.

“Don’t go putting ideas into his head,” Wheeljack warned.

“Yeah, they’ll get awfully lonely without anything else in there,” Ironhide put in with a smirk.

“So where are we looking today?” Jazz asked the human as she sat herself on the floor.

“It’s up to you,” she replied as she went about doing a series of stretches. It was obvious from her tone she wasn’t planning on joining them.

“But,” Jazz argued. “But, but, but how are we gonna know where to look?”

“You know better than I do where to look.” She winced as she stretched the muscles in her back.

“But you’re always the one who finds them somehow. I don’t think we can do it without you.”

Crystal sighed. “I think you’re exaggerating now, Four. I don’t have any extra Autobot locating powers.”

“Me Grimlock beg to differ,” the Dinobot snorted.

Crystal ignored him. “You guys will do just fine. Look how many you have now to help you.”

Prowl nodded. He was happy to keep her out of the danger of their affairs. He already had plans in his head.

“So you’re not going to help us at all now?” Wheeljack asked.

“Oh, I’m helping,” Crystal insisted. “If all goes well tonight, we’ll have a vehicle and we can be out of here by tomorrow morning. I also took Monday and Tuesday off. Even if I can’t go all the way to Oregon, I’ll at least get you far enough that it will be safe to contact someone. How’s that for helping?”

“You said something about getting a car fixed, right?”

“Oh the car is fixed. The mechanic is just waiting to be paid. And I’ll have the money if I can win this fight tonight.”

Prowl paused in his mental planning, unsure if he heard correctly.

“Did you say fight?”

* * *

 

 

The engine of the yellow Lamborghini rumbled with impatience at the miles of cars ahead of him going at a turtle’s pace.

“What a time to close a lane for construction,” Sunstreaker grumbled over the radio. “I hate this.”

“Well, it’s a weekend and a holiday to boot,” Tracks responded in a cool tone. “What did you expect, Sunstreaker? Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

Sunstreaker’s engine rumbled again. He was restless. “I don’t know what it is, Tracks, but as soon as we got on the road I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I need to get out there as soon as possible. I know my brother’s in good company, but I’m still worried. I love the guy but, well, he’s an idiot.”

“No, Sideswipe is still an Autobot. He knows how to take care of himself. And we both know he’s smarter than he lets on.”

“I guess...” Sunstreaker relented, though he sounded hardly pacified.

“Hey, Tracks?”

“Yes.”

“You know... you can get out there faster than I can...”

“I said yes, Sunstreaker.”

The yellow Autobot chuckled. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” A pair of wings grew out from under the blue Corvette which promptly took off into the air, startling a few bored motorists.

Sunstreaker watched him go, only feeling slightly better. He couldn’t shake this suspicion that something was in motion. Something was happening far away from him, he could feel it. And it felt like he needed to be there. Sunstreaker just hoped he would get there in time.

* * *

 

 

“It’s about time someone came to get me,” Skyfire demanded. “It’s been almost five days of radio silence! What’s been going on?”

“We came as soon as we could, Skyfire,” Bluestreak assured him as he pulled off the foliage that had been covering the large jet. “All the Decepticon attacks spread us so thin, we’re looking kind of pathetic.”

“Is it just me or is Megatron getting smarter?” Sideswipe asked. He hunched over the jet, up to his elbows in Skyfire's inner workings while Ratchet guided him over the radio.

“He must have finally realized getting dumber wasn’t working,” Brawn quipped.

From the sky, Swoop flew down and perched on the jet’s back. “Skyfire damaged?” he asked with the curiosity of a child asking about another’s injury. “You no fly?”

“No Swoop. Not today. I’m grounded.”

“You’re lucky the Decepticons haven’t found you all this time,” Brawn said.

“Yeah, I am,” Skyfire retorted in an accusing tone.

“Have you heard anything from Prime or Prowl or anyone?” Bluestreak asked.

“Nothing. Prime insisted on absolute radio silence before he left so I wouldn’t be found. So you mean to say you haven’t heard from them either?”

“Not a peep,” Brawn confirmed. “According to Ratchet, that was Prime’s last radio communication. We have no idea what happened to his team. All we do know is that the Decepticons are still lurking somewhere in the city. So that’s where we’re going to look.”

“Okay Ratchet, I see it,” Sideswipe said over the radio. He fiddled a bit with the components and then stood back. “Okay Skyfire, try it now.

The jet transformed with a sigh of relief. “That feels so much better,” he said as he stretched. “Unfortunately, my engines are still in bad shape.”

“Ratchet says it's a bit too complicated to try to repair over the radio. We're going to have to get you back to the Ark.”

Skyfire paused. “Any specific reason you had to bring the Dinobots with you?”

Brawn frowned. “Ratchet in his _infinite_ wisdom insisted they come and– Snarl is heading for the freeway! Sideswipe, stop him!”

“On it, boss!” Sideswipe ran off with alacrity.

“And figure out some way to control them while you’re at it!”

“This doesn’t look good, does it?” Skyfire said.

“No, it doesn't,” Brawn admitted with fatigue. “Megatron has made all of us look like chumps and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“You should go to the city and leave me here. I’ll be fine.”

Brawn shook his head. “No. I should get you back to base. We may need you to start shuttling Autobots out here as fast as possible.” He looked toward the city. “If it were any other team missing I’d be worried. But whatever happened to them, they can handle it.” He then gazed dubiously in Sideswipe’s direction. The red Autobot was blocking Snarl's path like a soccer goalie. “It’s these yahoos I’m worried about. But unfortunately, I’m the only one who has the power to haul you back to base. Primus help them. That’s all I can say.”

“They’ll be fine, Brawn.”

“If anything, maybe they’ll at least stir up enough activity so we can figure out what’s going on.” Brawn turned to Bluestreak.

“I'm taking Skyfire back in the trailer. While I’m gone, you’re in charge.”

Bluestreak’s optics grew to almost twice their size. “Me?!”

Brawn clapped him on the shoulder as Sludge trundled by, nearly missing them both with his massive tail. “Good luck, kid. You’re going to need it.”

Bluestreak still looked a bit shell shocked even as Brawn hitched himself to the full trailer and pulled away. He turned his attention to the distance where the Dinobots were milling around with Sideswipe in the midst of them.

“So Brawn’s gone. Now we can get it done my way,” Sideswipe said as Bluestreak approached.

“Actually,” Bluestreak said in a small voice. “Um, Brawn kind of left me in--”

“Dinobots! Listen up!” Sideswipe announced, blowing off Bluestreak completely. “We’re going to infiltrate the city right under Megatron’s nose and I have a plan!”

To their credit, the Dinobots actually did stop and take note of him, which was more courtesy than they had ever given Brawn. The moment, however, was short lived and they started off on their own again.

“Maybe we should...” Blustreak started to suggest.

“Hey! Hey!” Sideswipe took off after them. “Where do you think you’re going? I’m in charge now!”

“Red car bot not in charge of Dinobots,” Slag announced.

“Dinobots only listen to leader Grimlock,” Snarl added.

“Well then,” Sideswipe said as he ran in front of them. “You will listen to me now because I am the _new_ Grimlock!”

The Dinobots froze. It was clear they were trying to process this new information. It took them almost two minutes to do so.

“New Grimlock?” Sludge finally asked.

“There only one Grimlock,” Swoop insisted. “Sideswipe cannot be Grimlock, too.”

“Why not?” Sideswipe argued. “Do you see any other Grimlocks here? Why can’t it be me?”

The Dinobots thought about it some more.

“You not Dinobot!” Slag told him. “Only Dinobots lead Dinobots! You think you like us?” He transformed into his impressive robot mode which was much taller than the already quite tall Lamborghini. “You want to be Dinobot leader? Fight Slag for it!”

Sideswipe looked thoughtful at the challenge while Bluestreak was near panic.

“Sideswipe, you can’t fight him! There’s a reason his name is Slag!”

Once again, he was ignored.

“And if you did win, Slag, then what?” Sideswipe asked. “I’m sure you most certainly know where Grimlock is?”

“Hnn...”

“Well then, you must at least have a plan on how to look for him.”

“Uh...”

“Not to mention getting all of you into the city limits without being noticed.”

Slag paused. “We follow New Grimlock only until Dinobots find Old Grimlock.”

Bluestreak was dumbstruck. Sideswipe’s golden tongue had gotten him his way again.

“Excellent,” the red Autobot said, rubbing his hands in excitement. “Here is what we are going to do.”

* * *

 

 

Prowl was at a crossroads. Very few things took prerogative over what his logic circuits told him. But when his protective side began to work, he found himself conflicted. He sat outside for a while, dangling his legs between the balcony rails and wrestling internally with himself.

Jazz watched him through the glass from where he was sitting on the couch. He found Prowl’s personal conundrum more amusing than anything else.

Crystal came out of the small laundry room where Wheeljack was tinkering with Blaster some more. She had a fresh load of newly dried clothes and was extremely happy her jeans weren’t going to feel like sand paper any more.

On her way to her room, she noticed a pair of blue optics peering out of the storage closet. That was Ironhide. Crystal felt a bit sorry for him. Apparently, while all his other comrades had been snug in her apartment for the past few days, he had been spending his time constantly running and fighting for his life. He had not been hurt, but Crystal could imagine it was probably quite mentally and physically taxing on the little red robot.

Jazz had assured her that while Autobots had to offline and recharge eventually, all of them could go for a few more days without the proper equipment. He explained how they had internal repair and recharging systems to help them keep going. These, of course, worked best when one had some quiet time just to sit and recharge. And if that was what Ironhide needed, Crystal was more than happy to let him hide in the closet for as long as he wished.

“So is he still sulking outside?” Crystal asked as she came back out and sat next to Jazz.

“Yeah. He’s used to being in charge. Prowl doesn’t do so well in situations where he’s not in control. It sometimes makes him shut down for a bit.”

“It sounds like he’s just pouting.” She got up and headed for the balcony door. “Going to

come in and join us?” she asked as she walked outside.

Prowl just frowned at the scenery.

“You know you’re missing the Fourth of July parade. That might be a good opportunity to look around for your missing friend.”

Still no response.

Crystal sat herself cross legged behind him. “Seriously, what is the problem? You’re acting like a child.”

The frown etched itself deeper onto Prowl’s face. “I don’t like you risking yourself like that for us. It isn’t right.”

“Oh please, don’t flatter yourself,” Crystal snorted. “I've been boxing for a few years. It's a sport, a hobby. I've been in the ring before, it's not like this is my first time. I was at gym every night preparing for this fight before I met you guys. I’m doing this for that fat winner’s purse so I can pay the ransom to get my car out of the shop. Which, while it profits you as well, was my plan all along. I want my car back.”

Prowl still didn’t respond, but it was obvious he was processing the information.

_Squeak. Squeak, squeak._

Prowl glared. She was playing with his door panels again. He didn’t appreciate it when she grabbed the tips and flapped them.

“Soo...” Crystal urged with a smile. “Are you going to come watch me? Grimlock is.”

_Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._

Prowl shrugged his doors out of her grip. “I’m not going to go out there just to watch you get pummeled.”

Crystal’s mouth fell open in exaggerated offense. “You think I’m going to lose! Thanks a lot!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Crystal stood and marched back inside. “Like I need your support anyway.”

Prowl was quick to follow, staying right on her heels. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t– Hey are you even listening to me?”

When she passed Jazz, Crystal threw him a sly grin before running off down the hall with Prowl after her. Getting Prowl away from his brooding had been her goal in the first place.

Jazz had to smile. It was entertaining seeing someone else give Prowl a run for his money for a change.

* * *

 

 

Dusk fell on New York Harbor. Strips of red and purples lingered on the horizon; the sun’s last hurrah before disappearing completely for the night.

It was a messier, older part of the harbor. No large company freighters or union paid dock workers. Only a few rusted, independently owned fishing boats tied to moldy, creaky ports. Here the water looked different; thicker and churning with pollution and floating debris. Odd objects would often break the surface and then burble back down as they rose and ebbed with the tide.

From the depths of the murk, the water churned and something else broke the surface. Something with glowing blue optics and a mischievous grin. It moves toward the docks while more heads popped up in the water behind it.

Bluestreak plodded stiffly out of the bay, holding his arms away from his sides in disgust. If robots could look sick, Bluestreak would have been a bit green in the gills.

“This is one of the foulest things you have ever made me do,” he said as he picked off bits of dripping wet garbage with distaste.

Sideswipe stepped out next, not minding the unspeakable filth hanging from his tall frame. In fact, he looked extremely pleased with himself; hands on hips and surveying the new playground splayed out before them in the dim light.

There were loud sucking sounds as the Dinobots stood out of the water. They too were oblivious to the clutter hanging from their forms.

“Me Swoop can’t touch bottom!” The pteranodon squawked as he flapped around in the surf like the drowning pigeon.

Sludge grabbed Swoop’s wing in his mouth and tossed him to the sand with a flick of his long neck.

“So what now?” Bluestreak asked, a rare frown on his face. He picked at a few more pieces of junk lodged in his hinges.

Sideswipe waved them on, a finger to his lips in request for silence. Or at least as much silence that could be mastered from bumbling, stumbling Dinobots. There were plenty of large stacks of cargo freights to hide behind which made Bluestreak feel only slightly safer. The Decepticons may not have known they were there, but they were still trespassing and running into security would certainly not help the mission.

Glancing behind him, the Dinobots seemed to not care either way. They were probably just glad to get out of the Ark for once.

Sideswipe led them all to a hanger with a padlock. It seemed to be the exact place he wanted to be for he took no time breaking the chain and ushering them all inside.

Bluestreak switched on his head lights as Sideswipe closed the hanger door behind them. It was massive. Even the Dinobots fit comfortably. As Bluestreak shined his lights around, he revealed strange, Earthly artifacts. Large, grinning cartoon faces, eerie remains of grand, colorful stages and structures decorated with ridiculously oversized flowers and shiny, plastic streamers.

“Sideswipe?” Bluestreak said as he backed away from the psychedelic nightmare. “What is this place?”

Sideswipe switched his lights on as well, summoning even more oddities from the gloom. “It’s where they’re storing floats from the parade this morning. We’re going to use this stuff as part of my plan.”

Right then, they went off. Those internal alarm systems that Prowl had time and again insisted Bluestreak should listen to more often. The same internal system Prowl also insisted Sideswipe didn’t have. As Bluestreak looked at the grin on Sideswipe’s face and the glint in his optics, his internal warning systems told him this would not end well.

* * *

 

 

Within the same city, though almost a world away, Ironhide was getting the same feeling. Prowl didn't like the arrangement at all, but his reasons weren't the same as Ironhide's.

To Prowl, it was more personal. Which was odd in and of itself. Prowl and personal didn’t exactly go hand in hand. The black and white Autobot was usually all business. But he and Jazz had been with this human for a while and she had been there for them since the start. He felt the welfare of this human girl was their responsibility.

Ironhide agreed, but only as far was the Decepticons were concerned. When Crystal's match was first mentioned, he didn't see the problem with it. From his own past he understood the ring. He understood fighting as a sport. He even understood using that sport to get some extra cash when funds were low.

Most importantly, Ironhide understood that with these things, there was a thin line between a friendly sport and something potentially dangerous. To his expert optics, the warning signs were starting to show. That was when he began to agree with Prowl that this could be a bad idea.

To get “directions” for the location, Crystal left her entourage of Autbots to meet some shady looking guy standing on a street corner. When she returned to them saying she knew where to go now, Ironhide began to get suspicious.

As they neared the location, Crystal steered them around the back. At the back door, a burly looking guy was standing guard and Ironhide wouldn’t stay quiet any longer.

“That’s it, c’mere.” He grabbed Crystal’s hand, pulling her aside and tugged her down to his level. “You had to go get directions because ya didn’t know until today where it was, am I right? That's cuz it moves around all the time so certain officials won't know where to find it.”

Crystal smiled calmly, not denying it. “And your point?”

“Mah point is that this here set up ain’t entirely legal, is it?”

Prowl was right there at the mention of illegal activities, listening in.

Crystal gave a little laugh as if he had said something cute. “Can’t slip anything by you, can I? No, it’s not entirely on the up and up, I’ll admit. But it’s cool, I promise. The guy who set me up with this was friends with my dad. He wouldn’t let me go if it wasn’t safe. They pay the fighters which is totally legal, but there are attending parties who like to bet on them which isn’t so legal. But the fights are legit. No one’s paid off to throw fights or anything so I’m actually on the safer side.”

Ironhide didn’t look too convinced. Neither did Prowl. But Crystal was already up and heading for the door.

“Name?” the burly man at the door asked.

“Crystal Carlisle. I’m fighting tonight.”

He looked her up and down in a way she did not appreciate. Then his eyes wandered to her smaller companions. “Kids ain’t allowed.”

“They’re not kids.” Crystal bent down and picked up Wheeljack. “They’re small robots, see? Aren’t they cute?”

He raised a thick eyebrow at them. “Robots?”

“Yeah, they change into cars. Show him, Jazz.”

Before Jazz could do anything, the back door opened and an older man stepped out.

“Crystal, there you are. I was wondering if I should go looking for you.” He was of a heavy build, mostly muscle. He looked as though he had been a fighter himself in his younger days. Maybe still was.

“Hey, Don.” Crystal greeted. “Nah, I found it fine.”

Don paused, noticing the Autobots as well. “Wow, you really weren’t kidding.”

Crystal grinned. “Would I lie to you, Don?”

“Well you do like to keep me on my toes. Get in here. I gotta tell you what’s going on.”

Crystal saluted and marched inside.

“So that’s yer fighter, huh?” the guard asked Don as they watched the Autobots all scuttle in.

“Uh, yeah,” Done replied, not looking too thrilled with the robots either. He was about to say something else, but noticed what Jazz was carrying and followed in after him.

The guard stayed where he was outside. They were Don’s problem now.

Inside was full of people, fighters and trainers talking loud and camped in every corner, waiting for the matches to begin.

“Crystal,” Don called as he caught up to her, “why do one of those things have a large boom box? You’re not planning any-”

“Chill, Don,” Crystal assured him, “The boom box just wanted to watch, too.”

Don stopped in his tracks. “The boom box wanted to– what does that even mean?” He hurried to catch up to her again, trying not to trip over Autobots along the way.

“Where can I change?” Crystal asked, oblivious to his problems.

Don grabbed her shoulder. “Hold on, kid. We gotta talk first.”

Crystal furrowed her brows at his sudden sober tone and allowed him to lead her away for privacy. “What’s up, Don?”

The older man rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I’m sorry kid, they’ve been rearranging the matches at the last minute and I’m afraid you’re getting the shaft this time.”

“What do you mean? Am I still fighting or what?”

He winced at her impatience. “Well, that’s really up to you. They don’t have anyone to fight you in your weight category, but I told them you needed the cash and asked what you could do.”

Crystal sighed heavily, looking aggravated at the situation. “Fine. So what did they say?”

Prowl narrowed his optics trying to catch what the two humans were talking about. It was difficult to pick out the voices from all the other noise in the room.

“An exhibition match?!” Crystal’s voice rose above the din. “Are they serious?”

“It will be the first match of the night,” Don explained. “And-”

“And they just want to watch their star fighter wipe the floor with me,” Crystal frowned.

Prowl tugged on her hand. “You don’t have to get involved in an unfair fight just for the money,” he informed her.

Crystal looked down in annoyance. “Nosy,” she said as she picked him up and put a hand over his mouth so he could offer no further argument. “How much?”

“Just for doing it, they’ll give you two hundred.”

Crystal frowned again. “That’s not enough. What if I win?”

“IF you win, they said they’ll give you a thousand.”

Crystal’s eyes grew twice their size. She stumbled backwards into a chair, Prowl in her lap. “How long do I have to decide?”

“Ten minutes; maybe less.” Don shifted, looking a bit guilty. “Sorry kid. I wish I could have done better. I’ll give you some time to think about it.”

As Don moved away, the Autobots came forward.

Ironhide climbed up to stand on the chair next to her and look her in the eye. “Ah told ya this place was shifty. Who they want ya ta fight?”

Crystal grabbed his chin and steered his face in the direction of the fighters warming up for their matches. “That woman right there.”

Ironhide gawked. “That’s a woman?!”

Crystal palmed his face. “Shush. Yes, it’s a woman. Though they usually pit her against guys because they can’t find girls anywhere near her size and weight.”

Ironhide studied the fighter. “Does she usually win?”

“Yeah,” Crystal said, her expression dropping.

“Then cancel,” Prowl spoke up. “We’ll find some other way.”

“Then again,” Ironhide cut in. “Ya never know you’ve really lost until you’ve given it a try.”

“No,” insisted Prowl. “It’s not worth it.”

“Every fighter has a weakness. Even you know that, Prowl. Ya got no faith in her.”

Wheeljack elbowed Jazz. “You know what this reminds me of? You ever see those cartoons where the character has the good self and bad self fighting over a decision?”

Jazz grinned. “Oh yeah, the shoulder angel and devil.” He looked at the white and red Autobots arguing. “I wonder which one she’ll listen to.”

“I’ll do it!” Crystal announced as she stood, spilling Prowl off her lap in the process. “I came here to fight, damnit, and I’m going to fight with someone!”

Don ushered the Autobots, per Crystal’s request, some place where they could see the match but not get in the way of the crowds. He showed them a ladder where they could climb up to a thin catwalk. There they were almost directly over the ring. Ironhide looked far too eager for the fight to begin and Prowl certainly didn’t appreciate his lofty attitude ever since Crystal had agreed with him.

“I can’t believe you’re supporting this,” Prowl berated. “What if she gets seriously hurt?”

“Nah, she’s tough. This ain’t her first fight, Prowl. She’ll be fine. Ye'r just sore cuz she listened ta me and not you.”

“Didn’t you do this kind of stuff for a bit way back on Cybertron, Ironhide?” Blaster asked as Wheeljack angled him to see the match.

“Yup,” Ironhide grinned a bit in reverie. “Back in the good old days.”

“There’s nothing good about watching two beings pummel each other for entertainment,” Prowl shot back.

“Says you.”

“Hey,” Wheeljack spoke up. “Anyone see where Grimlock went?”

* * *

 

 

“Make sure it’s really tight,” Crystal instructed.

Jazz had finished braiding her long hair and now helped her pin the whole thing back in a bun.

“No sense giving her an extra way to get a hold of me.”

“So you’re really gonna do this, huh?” Jazz asked.

“Why not?” Crystal responded lightly as she checked the tape wrapped around her knuckles. “We all need to take a few stupid risks every now and then to make life interesting.”

Jazz gave her a half grin. “You think you might win?”

The match was being announced and the crowd roared as the champion got in the ring. Crystal stood up and clapped her hand on the top of Jazz’s helmet. “Well Little Four, we’ll see if it was meant to be.”

Her name was announced while Crystal steadily made her way up to the ring. She didn’t get nearly as many cheers as her opponent did– even a few boos. But she expected it. This match wasn’t about who would win, it was about how much her opponent could show off before Crystal couldn’t take any more abuse. No one expected her to come out on top and she knew it. Even a part of her didn’t expect it either.

This would indeed be the ultimate test. If she won this match, maybe there was a ghostly hand of fate guiding her after all.

The ring was a small cage which was closed and locked when both fighters were inside. Crystal sized up her opponent. Her name was Kat Slacovka. Crystal had seen her fight before, but never so close. Crystal certainly wasn’t too short herself, but this woman still towered over her more in bulk than height, eying her like a tiger eyes easy prey.

The ref stepped in, checking the gloves and explaining the rules. There would be numerous rounds until a winner was locked in a hold, tapped out, or knocked out. Crystal knew if she had any chance of winning at all, it had to be done in round one. Though physically fit, she didn’t have the stamina to go for an extended period of time against something with almost twice her strength. If she was going to make a move, it would have to be quick and precise.

The referee squared them off and started the match. Crystal instantly took a step back to stay out of Kat’s long reach. Instead of attacking, however, Kat extended her glove, a show of sportsmanship. It surprised Crystal a bit. Maybe this woman didn’t want to tear into her as badly as she had initially thought. Crystal moved forward, intent to tap her glove with her opponent’s to begin the fight.

The moment she got close Kat took a swing at her with all her might. The crowed roared and jeered at the unsportsmanlike conduct. Crystal barely dodged the blow, but she felt the wind of that swing. Any direct blow from that fist, or if she got caught in any kind of lock, it would be all over. She would have to play this fast and smart.

The two female fighters circled each other. Every once in a while, Kat would swing but Crystal always stayed slightly out of reached.

From the catwalk, Prowl tensed as he watched the fight. “This whole thing is dirty. This isn’t a fair match at all.”

“In this business, Prowl, it’s not about fair,” Ironhide told him. “It’s about entertainment. But that gal seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Look at her circle. She’s looking for a weakness. It may be an interesting match yet.”

Just as he spoke, Kat lunged forward in another vicious punch. This time, instead of dodging, Crystal grabbed the arm, holding it at an awkward angle and delivered a swift kick to her opponent’s ribs. Kat stumbled back from surprise and Crystal quickly hopped a safe distance away again.

Jazz cheered from his place at the ringside. He still wasn’t sure how she was going to win, but at least it was one good hit.

“I thought that kid looked familiar.”

Jazz picked up a conversation near by. “I saw her old man fight in the ring years ago. Carlisle the Crusher they called him. The man was a genius in the ring. Probably would have gone pro if he hadn’t joined the military. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s picked up a few of his moves.”

“Oh yeah?” the man he was talking to replied. “Maybe they should have let us bet on the fight after all.”

In the ring Kat attacked again, swinging her fists, and once more Crystal dodged and aimed for her ribs. This time with her fists. But Kat didn’t stumble like before. Despite the pain, the larger woman attacked. Crystal didn’t get out of the way as fast and was clipped on the side of the head.

That was when the real fight began. By then, both had sized up their opponent. Crystal found Kat was slow and preferred boxing moves while Kat found Crystal relied on her speed to stay out of the way. Kat knew how to handle that kind of fighter– give them nowhere to run.

The crowd roared again as Kat charged, backing Crystal against the wall of the cage. Crystal side stepped to get free as Kat punched. But in the middle of her retreat, Kat swung around her second fist and nailed Crystal square in the back.

Crystal gasped as the air was knocked out of her and from the pain of the punch on yesterday’s injuries. As she turned, she saw the glint in Kat’s eyes. Kat knew she was injured there now. She was going to aim for it.

Kat charged again. Crystal knew she had to end this fight soon or she was going to lose. When Kat attacked, Crystal didn’t run. She ducked after the first swing and punched low, hitting the ribs again. She got in three quick, consecutive jabs in the same spot and then punched with all her might right on Kat’s chin.

Crystal shook her hand from the sting of the punch. Kat stumbled back, but didn’t go down. In fact, she grinned. The punch had hardly phased her and Crystal’s eyes grew wide when she realized how deep in trouble she really was. This woman was a brick wall.

Seeing her opponent’s weakness, Kat pounced. Crystal backed into the wall to get away and Kat had her right where she wanted her. A well placed punch to the gut had Crystal gasping. As she scrambled to put some distance between them, Kat grabbed her braid which had come lose, pulling Crystal back and she slammed her smaller opponent into the side of the cage.

Instantly Kat was on her, pounding her fists into Crystal’s back. The crowd was roaring while Crystal’s world was spinning in pain. Jazz wanted to look away, but his optics were glued to the scene. The match, it seemed, was over.

Kat picked up the smaller woman, lifting Crystal above her head in an impressive feat of strength. The crowd jumped from their chairs screaming and cheering. Prowl readied himself to witness the finishing blow. He knew this had been a bad idea from the start.

Ironhide, however, jumped to his feet, grabbing Prowl’s shoulder. He saw something in the ring no one else noticed.

Kat hurled her opponent to the ground with all her might. At the last second, Crystal grabbed Kat’s head, sending both hurling to the floor. Crystal landed on her back while she made sure Kat took the full brunt of the impact with her skull.

The room fell into a dead silence as both fighters hit the ground and lay lifeless at the bottom of the cage.

Crystal rolled away, coughing as she tried to get air back in her lungs. Her opponent didn’t move. Kat Slacovka had been knocked out cold.

The crowd went wild. Even after the ref raised Crystal’s hand to announce the win, Kat’s body still had not moved. The medic on the scene checked on Kat’s passed out frame until finally, a very confused fighter came back into consciousness and was helped down from the ring.

Crystal stumbled down the stairs, still looking a bit punch drunk herself. Don helped her into a chair.

“Kid, you scared the hell out of me!” he barked at her.

“Scared _me_ ,” Crystal wheezed, taking water as it was offered. She guzzled it down and broke into another coughing fit.

“And Crys goes for the win!” Jazz cheered as he approached her. “How does that feel?”

Unlike his usual actions of climbing all over her, he merely stood next to her, touching her knee; as if afraid that any further physical contact would break her.

“Ask me in a few minutes when I can breathe again,” Crystal wheezed. “Don, I need an ice pack.”

“Seriously kid, that was a one in a million shot. It was amazing,” Don said after he had returned. “You should really consider--”

“Just get me my money,” Crystal cut him off. “I need it now, I have to go.”

“Sure kid. Right on that.”

When Don left, Crystal handed the ice pack to Jazz. “Put it right here,” she said, pointing between her shoulder blades.

Jazz pressed it to her back and she gasped at the cold and the pain. Jazz was about to remove it, but she insisted.

“Keep it there. My back feels like it’s on fire.”

At this point, the other Autobots had made their way back to her.

“Not bad for an amateur, kid” Ironhide said. “Ya got some potential there.”

“Thanks!” Crystal gave a forced grin. “Maybe they’ll take me seriously next time.” She flinched again in pain.

“Sorry,” Jazz said.

“Next time better not be for a while,” Prowl said in his usual calm tone as he began to remove the gloves and tape from her left hand. “Going into a fight already damaged is never a good idea.”

“No worries, I heal fast,” Crystal assured him. “This will be gone in no time.” She paused to count bodies. “I think we’re missing one.”

“Me Grimlock see fight!” a voice boomed as he pushed through the other Autobots. “Me Grimlock get front row seat! See you win!”

“Did you?” she laughed as she picked him up.

“Yes! Me Grimlock think you not so weak as me first think! You fight bigger than you and win! Me guess is okay you afraid of small things.”

“Well I’m glad you think so. Pew!” Crystal held him out at arms length. “You smell like smokes and beer.”

“Humans try to give me Grimlock 'weeds'. What me Grimlock need weeds for? Have weeds all over Ark outside. Never need to smoke them. Me Grimlock not see point.”

“Me neither, Grim.” Crystal flinched as she removed the tape from her right hand.

Prowl was instantly looking at it. “What happened? Does it hurt?”

Crystal pulled it back and gingerly rubbed her knuckles. “It’s from when I punched Kat. That woman has a jaw like granite. It’s probably just bruised.”

Don returned with another man in a suit and slicked hair.

“This is Jimmy. He’s handling the finances of Mr. Russo, the man who owns this place and is running the show.”

“So am I getting my money?” Crystal asked, not in the mood for small talk.

Jimmy smoothed his hair. “Mr. Russo would like to speak with you about tonight’s performance.”

Neither Prowl nor Ironhide liked his tone. It didn’t sound like a request. Crystal either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“So do you have my money or what? I was told a thousand if I win.”

Jimmy didn’t look impressed but he produced a wad of cash. “Here’s five hundred. You get the rest after you talk to my boss.”

Crystal took it from him. “Don, can you spot me a hundred? I have to go get my car out of the shop like now before it closes.”

Don didn’t move and actually looked at Jimmy for permission which confused Crystal.

“I really think you should--”

“Look, I’m sorry, but I really have to go,” Crystal cut Jimmy off. “It’s very important that I get that car out tonight. Tomorrow the place will be closed. I can come back right afterward if you want or you can talk to Don about it. He usually set up my fights.”

Jimmy looked from one to the other. “Okay, fine. Come back right after. If not, we’ll just talk to Donny over here.”

He gave the other man a pat on the back which Don returned without any good humor. He solemnly pulled a hundred dollars from his wallet.

“Thanks Don! Just take it out of the rest of my winnings,” Crystal called as she herded the Autobots out of the building.

* * *

 

 

A half an hour later, Crystal was trying to get her mechanic to stop gawking at the robots and give her a total.

“So what do you keep them for exactly?” he asked as he poked Grimlock’s dinosaur mode. “Like, what do they do? Are they like those digital pet things?” His name tag said “Reggie”.

Grimlock growled and snapped at him.

“Stop doing that,” Crystal told him. “They’re not animals. Treat them like people.”

“People?” Reggie argued. “You can’t be suggesting they’re like us. They’re just machines. They’re programed to act like people but it’s not the same as being alive.”

Jazz, who was sitting on Crystal’s lap, got his audios covered by her hands.

“Reggie, they can hear you! Don’t talk about them like they don’t understand you!”

“Crystal,” Wheeljack said, touching her knee. “If this guy hasn’t fixed your car yet, I’ll do it.”

“Oh you hear that, Reggie? Wheeljack here can even do your job. And I doubt he’ll charge me for labor.”

Reggie managed to look offended. “Well the car is already done. And I usually make customers pay up front. I did you a favor you know.”

Crystal smiled. “I know and I appreciate it. A lot.”

“Hey, there’s something going on out the window,” Blaster announced. “Someone take me over there.”

“The radio talks, too?” Reggie demanded.

Ironhide picked Blaster up and climbed onto the work bench near the window. Crystal followed and peered outside.

“Ooh, they started the fireworks.” She picked up Grimlock and put him on the bench so he could see as well.

“Many explosion,” the Dinobot commented. “Who they fire at?”

“I want to go watch,” Crystal announced. “Hurry and ring me up, Reggie.”

The mechanic grumbled as he processed her total.

“Go watch the fireworks, Prowl,” Crystal urged to the white Autobot that was always in her shadow. He seemed to be watching her even closer since her fight. “Enjoy the beauty.”

Prowl gazed over to where the other Autobots were ooing and awing out the window. He looked back up at her pragmatically. “It’s fine. I don’t need to see them.”

Crystal pointed with finality. “I said ENJOY THE BEAUTY!”

Prowl made a sound something akin to a sigh. “Yes ma’am. Right away.”

Reggie leveled a look at her as Prowl walked away. “That’s seriously quite a litter. How long have you had them?”

“Almost a week. I need the car to get them home.”

Reggie grinned as he printed her a receipt. “Are they driving you nuts?”

Crystal glanced backward to the group. “It’s hard to get a moment to myself, but I’m sure I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.”

There was the buzz of engines overhead and the whole collection of Autobots sprang into action.

“Grab your keys, Crys, we’ve gotta go,” Jazz insisted, pushing her calves to get her moving.

Prowl was leading the others outside.

Crystal shrugged at the mechanic. “Apparently I have to go. Thanks!”

She snatched her keys and pointed to a silver Corolla. Prowl and Jazz shared the front seat while the rest clamored into the back.

“Drive,” Prowl told her.

Crystal started the car. “Where?”

Jazz looked as serious as Crystal had ever seen him. “That way.”

She sped off in the direction indicated. It was dead silent in the car. All the Autobots were looking out of various windows for... something.

“What did you see?” Crystal asked in a soft voice.

“Seekers,” was all Prowl said.

“They’re searching for something,” Jazz added. “Something close by.”

Crystal’s pocket buzzed as her cell phone went off and she dug for it while trying to drive.

“Hello?”

“Crystal, where are you?” Don’s voice came over the line. “Are you coming back?”

“Sorry Don. It’s taking longer than I thought, we--”

“They’re circling!” Wheeljack announced.

“Crystal, turn left here! Quickly!” Prowl ordered.

She ran a red light, almost cutting off traffic in following Prowl's instructions. “Whoops! I hope no cops saw that!”

“Crystal, what are you doing?” Don continued over the phone. “I need you to come back. You don’t understand what--”

“Turn right here,” Prowl said.

“Sorry Don, I really gotta go. I’ll call you back.”

“Wait! Crys--”

She flipped off her phone and tossed it in the cup holder. The car swerved right and Crystal slammed on her breaks as a tall, slatted fence blocked her path. All four doors opened as everyone got out, searching the skies. Crystal wasn’t exactly sure what they were looking for, but she could still hear the jet engines over head.

“Those seekers are hunting for something,” Prowl said.

“Three guesses what it is,” Jazz chimed in. “And the first two don’t count.”

“If Prime’s out there, we gotta find him first,” Ironhide told them. “Even if they are bigger than us, we can’t let him fight alone.”

“Agreed,” Prowl nodded. “We’re going to roll out, Autobots. Grimlock, as much as we may need you, you won’t be able to keep up with us. You’ll stay will Crystal and Blaster.”

The Dinobot huffed loudly, arms folded. He was obviously not happy, but he couldn’t argue Prowl’s logic either.

“Is there a way I can track you?” Crystal asked. “Then I could at least be near by with the car; Grimlock, too.”

“Hey, hey!” came Blaster’s voice from the car. “I’ve got an idea. Jazz, c’mere.” As attention turned to him, Blaster continued. “Crystal’s cell phone. If you stayed connected to it, I can connect to it, too, and know your position. It will be filtered through the phone company's network so the Decepticons won’t know it’s our signal.”

Jazz snapped his fingers. “It will just look like a normal phone call! Blaster, you’re beautiful, man.”

“Woah Jazz, let’s not get carried away now. The Blaster saves it all for the ladies.”

“We’re wasting time! Let’s get going!” Ironhide urged.

Crystal was already by the fence, squatting with her hands clasped together. Wheeljack stepped on her palms and she lifted him to the top of the fence.

“Be careful,” she said as she did the same for Prowl.

“Don’t get too close,” he instructed her. “Those planes are deadly. If you run into anything dangerous you let Grimlock handle it.” As he hung from the top of the fence he added. “Don’t get involved in this, I mean it.”

“Yes, sir! Right away!”

“You know he only says that cuz he loves you,” Jazz grinned as he was lifted over.

“JAZZ!” came a sharp bark from the other side and Jazz quickly jumped down.

Ironhide was the last one up.

“Quite a night for taking chances,” Crystal remarked.

Ironhide paused at the top of the fence. Fireworks exploded in the sky behind him.

“Sure is,” he grinned.

Then he was gone. Crystal heard the four Autobots transform and drive away. Then she got in her car and reached for her cell phone. It rang right away. Crystal frowned when she saw who it was on her caller ID.

“Don, not now,” she told the phone and ended the call without answering it.

The phone rang again. This time it was Jazz. Crystal handed the phone to Grimlock as she backed out onto the road.

“It’s do or die time now, Grim.”

“It no big deal,” Grimlock assured her. “Just like last time. Crystal fight bit opponent. Crystal win.”

She shook her head as she waited for Blaster’s directions. “Boy I hope so.”

 

 

 


	6. Day 5 Part 2: The New Prime

**Small Problems**

**Day 5, Part 2: The New Prime**

 

“Tracks, this is Ratchet. Come in. What’s your status?”

“This is Tracks here,” responded the Corvette as he sped up the freeway. “I’ll be coming up on the New York City limits soon. I can see the fireworks from here and they look spectacular.”

“Sunstreaker radioed me earlier this evening,” Ratchet’s voice responded. “His engine overheated and he’s been further delayed. He’s at least a day behind you Tracks, maybe more.”

“His loss. He’s going to miss the New York highlights. In hind sight, it may have been a good idea to do some internal systems checks before we left.”

“WHAT?!” Ratchet’s voice shrieked over the radio. The pitch was so shrill, Tracks skidded from the feedback. “You were in the desert for over a week and the only thing you do when you come back is outer body work?! I swear there’s not a single practical command between the two of you outside your own afts! When you get back to base I’m gonna--”

Laser fire suddenly peppered the road. The radio fizzled in and out as Tracks swerved to dodge it all.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to threaten me another time, Ratchet. I’m under attack.”

“Who is it? How many, Tracks?”

Tracks transformed and jumped to the side of the road, searching wildly for the source. He had been fired upon from behind trees or boulders, the identities of his attackers unknown. But then he caught a glance of Wildrider standing right in the open.

“Stunticons! From the amount of ammo fired at me, I’d say all of them!”

“Fall back, Tracks. You’re outnumbered.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Tracks transformed, speeding away from the fusillade and unfolding the wings from his under carriage. He was in the air before the gestalt team could even transform to follow.

“Those unrefined louts better not have marred by new paint job,” he muttered.

Even if they had, Tracks had no opportunity to avenge his shiny coat. He was badly outnumbered and out-muscled. Only an idiot would choose to stay and fight; and Tracks was no idiot. He flew away from any roads, making it impossible for the land-bound Decepticons to follow.

Once a safe distance away, Tracks landed and transformed, pulling out his weapon. He was glad for his dark paint job. It would make him harder to find. He was silently glad Sunstreaker was not with him. The yellow Autobot's radiant paint caused him to practically glow, even at night. Not to mention he did not possess the power of flight that Tracks had found so useful this night. Even though Sunstreaker was fast, there was no guarantee he would have outrun all five Stunticons.

“Hello Ratchet, I have returned,” Tracks hailed over his radio. “Sorry to cut our conversation short like that. I'm now in a safer location.”

“What’s your status?” Ratchet’s voice came back to him.

“Still in one piece and stunning. But those Stunticons are definitely going to be a problem. If I had to take a guess, I’d say there were put there to stop any Autobots from getting to the city.”

“Or getting out,” Ratchet mused.

“That's a disturbing thought. So what shall I do then? Shall I proceed to the city my own way or would you like me to rendezvous with Sideswipe and Bluestreak’s team first?”

“Sideswipe and Bluestreak are already in the city.”

Tracks paused. “Didn’t they have the Dinobots with them? How did they pull that off?”

“You can ask them when you get there. Sideswipe requested radio silence until morning. He definitely has something planned.”

Tracks had to smile. “That red son of a glitch usually does. Though whether it’s good or not is another matter entirely.”

“Don’t I know it. Get yourself into the city and maintain radio silence as well for the rest of the night. We'll see how things look in the morning.”

“Alright then, Tracks out.” He ended the connection and then shut down his radio completely. Resting the gun on his shoulder, Tracks gazed at the iridescent light show of the sprawling metropolis ahead.

“New York, New York, it's one hell of a town.”

* * *

 

 

There was much Prowl would have given to be anywhere else but here. Despite millions of years of experience and training, both with the Cybertron Defense Force and also with the Autobots, he felt very ill prepared. As he led his small convoy through the maze of buildings and rubble, he tried to come up with a plan. They had a target of unknown location they needed to secure– preferably without being found by their very large enemies. Caution would be required.

“Jazz,” Prowl radioed. “You’re going to take Ironhide and be our stealth team. When we find Optimus Prime, it will be your job to get him out of here. Wheeljack and I will be distractions if necessary.”

“No way, Prowl,” Ironhide argued. “We’re not gonna leave you two to the Decepticons just ta get Prime out. I know he’d agree if he were here.”

“Well he’s not,” Prowl snapped back. “I appreciate the concern Ironhide, but you have to agree that the top priority is Prime. He cannot end up in Decepticon hands. The Autobots need him.”

Ironhide silently conceded.

“Wheeljack, if you would rather not--”

“No way, Prowl. I’m with you.”

“Good. Autobots, stay low. We’ve got both seekers and cassettes to deal with. We hit as fast and as silent as possible. This is a battle we have no hope of winning by force. I know this isn’t usually our way, but if any trouble comes up, run and regroup.”

“Gotcha, Prowl!” Jazz chimed in.

“But I don’t have to like it,” Ironhide added.

“No,” Prowl agreed, “you don’t.”

Above them, through the buildings, they could see two seekers descending. The Autobots followed their path and cautiously moved as close as they dared to survey the scene. Thundercracker and Starscream stood around while Ravage paced and growled outside a brand new building not yet open for business. Energon dripped from the cat’s jaws.

“Good boy, Ravage,” Starscream said with approval in his voice. “It’s about time we turned up something.”

Ravage slunk toward the building.

“Ravage, get back here,” Thundercracker barked

Ravage held back, but growled impatiently.

Thundercracker turned to Starscream. “Why don’t we just blow the whole building? It will save us a lot of trouble.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Starscream hissed back. “Megatron will want proof. He’ll have us sifting through that mess for weeks. Even as small as he is, we both know Optimus Prime is very resourceful. He may survive the explosion. We need a body. Skywarp is bringing Rumble and Frenzy. We’ll wait for them.

“Ravage, secure the parameter. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere until we’re ready for him.”

The panther’s dark form slunk silently off into the night shadows. Prowl knew the feline was most dangerous in the darkness. They would have to keep an extra close watch out for him. Prowl motioned for Ironhide and Jazz to move to the building while he and Wheeljack remained outside.

The two swiftly and silently ran to the side and pressed against the foundation. Jazz scanned the darkness. No motion detected; so far so good. Jazz kept a vigil while Ironhide looked for a way in. The brand new building was locked down tight.

“It’s no use unless we break a window or something,” Ironhide growled. “But that’ll sure call the Decepticons to us.”

Jazz nodded. He peeked around the corner and saw Ravage crouched by a broken glass door, optics glued to the opening his prey must have taken. The only reason he had not broken through himself was because of Starscream’s order to wait.

The Autobots needed a diversion if they ever wanted to get Ravage to leave his post. Jazz pulled back and motioned to where Prowl and Wheeljack were hiding. After getting their attention, he pointed in Ravage’s direction. Prowl nodded and the two disappeared from sight. Moments later, Wheeljack’s car form sped by and back into the night.

Ravage jumped to his feet and snarled in the direction the little Autobot had gone, but was not leaving his post.

“Come on,” Jazz urged internally. “Take the bait.”

Wheeljack revved his engine in the darkness and then flickered his headlights. That was more than the metallic cat could stand and he bounded off in hot pursuit. Jazz and Ironhide wasted no time running toward the door. Jazz could hear Starscream’s shrill voice demanding what Ravage was up to as they slipped through the broken glass.

The building inside was newly carpeted and only partially furnished. There was electricity, but the elevator was not yet in service. And there was no sign of Optimus Prime. Near the stairs, they found traces of internal fluids and followed it up to the second floor. This one was full of cubicles and would have been quite a task to check all possible hiding places, except the trail of fluid led them right to their goal.

“Prime!” Ironhide gasped when he saw the figure slumped under a desk. A small stain of fuel pooled around him.

Optimus Prime raised his head and his optics flickered weakly.

“Ironhide... Jazz... Thank the matrix you’re still alive. I’ve been searching all over for you.”

“Worry about yourself, Boss,” Ironhide shot back. “We’re gonna get you outta here.”

“It’s pretty deep.” Jazz pressed his hand to the large gash in Prime’s side. It was obvious Ravage had gotten a hold of their leader. Jazz pulled back and his palm was covered in energon.

“This ain’t good.”

Ironhide put one of Prime’s arms around his neck and hefted him to his feet with a soft groan from his leader. “Prime, can you transform at all?”

Optimus clutched at his wound with his free hand. “I can but... makes the wound worse. Lose more energy...”

Jazz ran to the window and looked down. As he feared, Ravage was right back at his post by the door.

“Can’t go back that way.” Jazz’s brain began to churn with possible plans. They needed another exit; one the Decepticons wouldn’t expect or notice. One that would ensure Optimus got out in one piece.

Unfortunately, such a plan did not have the opportunity to present itself. Rumble and Frenzy were at the building entrance and they broke their way in within seconds. The shattering glass was heard on the second floor as Ravage led the charge inside. It would take him no time at all to follow Prime’s trail right to the Autobots.

Jazz called over Ironhide who was trying to weld the most vital part Optimus Prime’s fuel lines back together. They would have to move fast.

The door to the second floor burst open as Rumble kicked it with gusto– arms still in pile driver mode. He was planning to make good use of them on whatever he found in there. Ravage ran the tracking sensors in his snout over the floor.

“Come on out, Autobot,” Rumble taunted. “You ain’t scard ‘a us, are ya?”

“I’m going to really enjoy this,” Frenzy said in a lower voice.

Ravage quickly picked up the trail and made a bee line straight down a row of cubicles and growled outside one in particular. The twin Cassetticons stiffened, this was it. All three jumped out at once and found...

“What the slag is that?” Frenzy demanded.

The small, blinking apparatus certainly wasn’t an Autobot. Behind the door Rumble had kicked open, Jazz pressed a detonator switch. The Decepticons watched the tiny round device flicker faster; then it beeped. It suddenly exploded in a shower of smoke and sticky dust.

“Frag it! What is this?” Rumbled demanded, stumbling blindly back. The debris from the explosion stuck to his skin and optics.

“I can’t see!” Frenzy clawed wildly at his optics as Ravage snarled and tried to wipe his face on the carpet.

“That’s our cue,” Jazz whispered from behind the door. “Let’s split.”

He and Ironhide each grabbed one of Prime's arms and carried him down the stairs. They slipped out of the broken glass door and made a dash away from the building.

Nearby, Thundercracker was trying to peek into the smokey, second story window to see what was going on.

“There they are!” Skywarp noticed the mini Autobots making their escape.

“They’ve seen us! Go, go!” Ironhide barked as they surged faster.

Skywarp charged them, easily catching up in a few paces. He lurched to sweep them up in one hand, only to get the heavy steel of a wrecking ball in the chest, shattering his cockpit and knocking him into Thundercracker. Both fell into a heap.

Starscream came around the corner. “Optimus Prime!” he screamed at them. The bodies of the other felled seekers were still in his way, struggling to get up “Everyone, get him!”

 _At the rate we're going, they're going to catch us_ , Jazz's mind panicked.

A tall blur dashed between him and Jazz, scooping up the inured Autobot leader with a “Run guys!” As Starscream opened fire on them, they didn’t need to be old twice. Jazz and Ironhide transformed and sped away as laser fire peppered around them.

Starscream moved to give chase, but the wrecking ball again swung back and clipped him in the wing. Starscream squawked and stumbled into the building.

“Who’s doing that?” Ironhide wondered.

Crystal managed to give him a sideways glance while she ran with Optimus Prime securely in her arms.

“Who do you think?”

Jazz’s senses picked up that it was Grimlock scrambling out of the cab of the wrecking crane.

“Subtlety never was his forte,” he quipped.

As they ran for cover, an extremely angry Ravage bounded from the building and the seekers were starting to get up. Cover fire came from above, slowing Ravage down while the group tried to scramble up the hill.

“Get out of here! We’ll cover you!” Prowl called.

“Jazz, go with them,“ Crystal told him. “I hid the car. Blaster can tell you where it is.”

Jazz stared at her. Since when was she in charge of this operation?

“GO!” She grabbed Grimlock’s hand and took off into the night. Ironhide followed her. Jazz turned around and fired at the Decepticons.

* * *

 

 

“Sideswipe.”

The Lamborghini looked up from his work when Bluestreak called to him. The Autobot in question was standing outside the hanger, multicolored hues reflecting off his paint.

“Pretty lights,” Swoop approved as he and the other Dinobots wandered out to look at the sky.

Sideswipe joined them.

The sparkling, multicolored melee of the Fourth of July fireworks climax exploded over the harbor. It reflected on the putrid water, making it glitter like a magic lake.

Sideswipe watched silently for a moment and then clapped his hand on Bluestreak’s shoulder.

“Glad you came, Blue?”

Bluestreak smiled at the red Autobot. “Yeah, I am.”

* * *

 

 

Crystal cursed the fireworks show. It was brilliant and spectacular and made it nearly impossible to hide in the darkness. Right now, the only option they had was to run as far and as fast as they could. Which was not as fast as Crystal would have liked to go as she had a wounded Autobot in one arm and was holding Grimlock’s hand with the other.

The little Dinobot was not the fastest runner and she was practically dragging him behind.

“Let me Grimlock go!” he demanded as he twisted out of Crystal’s trip. “Me Grimlock not run! Me Grimlock fight!”

He tumbled free and bounced back on his feet.

Crystal stopped in her tracks. “Grimlock!”

“Go! Me Grimlock find later! Crystal run!”

“But--” Crystal called as he ran off. She looked down for help. “Ironhide, don’t let him go.”

In vehicle mode, Ironhide bumped her calves to make her move forward. “You don’t worry about him. Just go. He has a lot better chance than you do.”

Reluctantly, Crystal started off again with Ironhide at her heels. The Cassettes never had a chance to follow her; the wall of Autobots kept them plenty distracted. The seekers, however, were going after the bigger prize.

Crystal instinctively ducked at the sound of low buzzing jet engines, despite that they were still above the roof tops. The rumble of the machines shook her to the core. As long as she stayed near buildings, Crystal hoped they couldn’t get to her.

Ironhide transformed and looked to the sky. “Them slaggin’ seekers know we’re down here.”

Crystal pressed her back against the wall. “How are we gonna lose them?”

“Leave me behind,” Optimus said weakly. “It– it’s not worth...”

“Shush. You have no say in this,” Crystal informed him. She turned to Ironhide. “Come on.”

Ironhide transformed as Crystal ran off again, following on her heels.

“You got some sorta plan?” he wondered.

“Those jets are big, but we can use it to our advantage. Follow me.”

* * *

 

 

“I’ve got them,” Thundercracker radioed. “It appears they’re with a human. They’re making a bee line north east and--”

Thundercracker paused as he saw the girl and her robot companions run into a green house. The seeker banked right, swerving wide to turn around and get the building back in his sight.

“They’re hiding in a small building. I don’t see them exiting anywhere. I’m going down.”

“We’re right behind you,” Starscream’s voice radioed back.

Instantly, Skywarp was in the area, transforming as he hit the ground.

“They’re in there, huh?” he said to Thundercracker who had also landed.

“I think so.”

“Let’s just torch it and get it over with,” Skywarp announced, brandishing the laser riffle on his arm.

Starscream swatted him in the head as he landed. “Don’t be brash, Skywarp. While I’m not fully opposed to your idea, we need to make sure no one gets out.” He fired his null ray at the door, melting the exit shut. He moved to do the same to the door on the opposite end as well.

“But you said Megatron wanted evidence,” Thundercracker reasoned.

Starscream frowned. “I’m changing my mind. Autobots that size are hardly evidence as they are. I’m sick of this chase. Megatron can pick out what parts he wants himself. Let’s burn it.”

* * *

 

 

There was an explosion in the distance, but Crystal was still running and she didn’t dare look back. Who knew how much time her trick had bought them? Yes, they had gone into the green house, but the moment the jet had to turn around to come back, she had dashed back out the way she had come in and ran back in a direction that, she hoped, they weren’t expecting to look. Crystal suspected she had much to thank to the fact that Decepticon seekers were used to tracking something much larger than herself.

She ran until she was completely out of breath. Only when she couldn’t pull herself a step further did she stop and fall to her knees, panting for air. She was still clutching the wounded Autobot leader to her chest as Ironhide rolled up and transformed.

“How’s Prime doing?”

Crystal gently placed Optimus on the ground. Her shirt and pants were soaked from his wound. “He hasn’t really done much but lay there and bleed on me.”

Ironhide knelt next to his leader. “Ah tried ta fix him, but I’m no medic. We need ta get him to Wheeljack.”

“I hope he and the others are okay,” Crystal said, taking off her sweater. She had a tank top on underneath and ripped the sweater into strips.

“Nah, they’ll be fine. A few Cassetticons won’t stop them,” Ironhide assured her. “We’re built better than that.”

Crystal gave him a smile as she wrapped Optimus’s wound as best she could. He moaned as he was tended to and his optics flickered slightly before settling on the human.

“You,” he said slowly, “risk much to help my Autobots. I thank you.”

“Yes I do,” she agreed as she picked him up again. “You stay with us. Don't let that risk go to waste.”

* * *

 

 

The splashing of several footfalls echoed themselves through the sewer.

“Not one of your brightest ideas, Jazz,” Wheeljack grouched.

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? All this junk is gonna make it mighty hard for those Cassetticons to track us now.”

“Them maybe not feel like tracking after what me Grimlock do to them.”

“We are the champions, my frieeeeend!” Jazz bellowed. “And we’ll keep on fighting to the eeeend!”

“Jazz, keep it down,” Prowl hissed. “We need to stay quiet.”

“Not to worry, Prowl, we took care of those Decepticons good,” Jazz grinned. “Besides, we’re almost there. Once we find the car, we’ll be out of here in no time.”

Homing onto Blaster’s signal, Jazz led them through the sewers. They surfaced near Crystal’s car, parked in an unlit alley. Prowl stood on his toes and opened the front passenger door.

“Wow! You guys look like you had an interesting time,” Blaster’s radio form greeted as they got in.

“We’ve definitely seen better days,” Wheeljack replied in a tired voice.

“You guys find Prime?”

“Sure did!” Jazz said. “Crystal and Ironhide have him and--”

“And they’re not back yet,” Prowl finished with a worried frown.

“Nope,” Blaster confirmed. “You guys are the only ones I’ve seen.”

Prowl looked out the window into the night. “We should search for her.”

“Where?” Wheeljack argued. “We don't know which way they went. What if going out there just puts Ravage right back on our tail?”

“So we just abandon her to the Decepticons.”

“Prowl, Wheeljack's got a point,” Jazz cut in. “We can't play this game all night. And Crys isn't alone. She's got Ironhide with her and she knows where we're meeting. Right now we just need to wait.”

Prowl frowned some more. Jazz knew he hated waiting. He hated any circumstance he wasn’t able to control. But he stayed, as did the rest of them, and the car fell into silence. Minute after minute ticked by and still nothing.

One of the car doors clicked open.

“Grimlock, where are you going?” Wheeljack demanded. The Dinobot jumped out of the

car. “Me Grimlock tell Crystal me find. So me Grimlock go to keep promise.”

He only made it a few paces from the car when Crystal’s tired figure trudged out of the darkness. She carried a bundle in her arms and was shadowed by Ironhide who looked equally as tired.

“Me Grimlock come find,” Grimlock told her.

“Thanks, Grim,” she replied with a weak smile. She opened the passenger door and lay down the motionless body of Optimus Prime on the seat.

“He doesn’t look too good,” she admitted.

“I’ll decide how he looks,” Wheeljack insisted as he planted himself next to the body.

“I’ll get us home as fast as I can. Hold onto him and stay out of sight.”

* * *

 

 

They reached the apartment without incident, everyone exhausted. The Decepticons may have expected Autobots as cars, but they certainly weren't looking for Autobots _in_ cars. Crystal gently carried Optimus Prime up the stairs to the second floor. Wheeljack had closed all the leaks, but the leader still looked in a bad way.

But they were home now; everyone was together. They were safe. Though exhausted, the team was hopeful for the future after time to rest and recover.

Crystal paused when she reached her door, body rigid and eyes wide. Her door was wide open. The apartment looked completely ransacked. Her heart jumped in her throat, face pale. After all that she had been through that night, she felt like she was going to faint.

Prowl placed a hand on her leg, equally alarmed. “Crystal, remain outside. Wheeljack will stay with you. Autobots, fan out. Make sure it’s secure.”

The remaining Autobots pulled out their weapons and systematically went through the apartment. Crystal was dead silent outside, nervously looking around, her heart pounding. She clutched Optimus to her chest, ready to flee again if the need arose.

A while later Prowl came back to the door. “The place is empty. It’s safe to come inside.”

Crystal walked in, too dazed to even lock the door behind her. She set Optimus on the couch and gazed around. The entire place was trashed. Nothing was stolen, just destroyed. Her TV was shattered, furniture broken, cabinets stripped and torn from the wall, and broken dishes all over the kitchen floor.

She worked her jaw up and down before finally coming up with the words to speak. “What... what the hell happened here?!” she squeaked in a high voice.

“Do you think the Decepticons found this place?” Ironhide asked quietly.

“No.” Prowl shook his head. “This isn’t Decepticon work. Humans did this.”

Crystal’s phone hummed in her pocket and she quickly snatched it out.

“Don? Oh my gosh, Don! You won’t believe what just happened to me! Someone trashed my apartment! What?” She was cut off as the person on the other end started going a million miles a minute in her ear.

“Don, slow down. What?” She wandered away to get a bit more privacy for her conversation. Jazz still followed after her.

“What you are talking about? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t come back. I had a situation. I thought it would be fine.”

“What’s he saying?” Jazz demanded. “What’s going on?”

Mostly just to shut him up, Crystal picked him up and balanced him on her hip as if he were a toddler. Jazz didn’t mind, as he usually didn’t. In this position, he could press his audio to the phone and hear both sides to the conversation.

“Kid, I screwed up big,” Don’s voice was saying. “These guys are serious, big time. I swear I didn’t know this would happen. They took it personal when you knocked out their prize fighter and then disappeared. You gave her a concussion, Crystal. She wasn’t allowed to fight tonight and that one was the big one. You lost these guys a lot of money, Kid.”

“Are you saying they’re mafia or something? Were they the guys that trashed my place?” Crystal demanded, her voice rising.

“You mean they’ve been there? Kid, get out! Come stay at my place. I’ll smooth everything out with them. I’m sure all they really want is for you to start fighting for them. When you knocked out Kat, that made you the new money maker. I’ll just talk to them and we’ll work out some kind of deal--”

“No deal,” Crystal said as she hung up her phone and turned it off.

By then, the other Autobots were lurking within earshot. Crystal put Jazz down and looked at them, her expression betraying her fear. Then she gazed around at her destroyed home. Letting out a long breath, she set her mouth in a firm line.

“We’re getting out of here. Now. Wheeljack, take anything in the apartment you can use to repair your friend. Gut any appliances you want.”

“Right,” Wheeljack saluted.

“Ironhide, help him.”

“You got it, kid.”

“Prowl.” Their gazes met for a moment before Crystal gave a dismissive motion in his direction. “Delegate. I want everyone in the car by the time I’m ready to go.”

She ran down the hall to her bedroom. Jazz and Prowl looked at each other and then followed. They found her in the midst of the disaster zone that used to be her bedroom. It was just as bad with her bed turned upside down and clothes torn and scattered everywhere.

Crystal was stuffing everything that wasn’t destroyed into a large duffel bag.

“Crystal,” Prowl said. “Explain to me what’s going on. Maybe we can help.”

“This one is out of your hands, Prowl,” Crystal grunted as she hastily rooted around. “And I'm afraid this time it's my fault. I pissed off the wrong guys tonight.” She moved to the bathroom and packed everything she could get her hands on. “Whomever did this is probably coming back. We need to get out of here. Grimlock?”

“What?” the Dinobot leader asked.

“Put this bag in the trunk.” She gave him the car keys and hurried to fill another piece of luggage. Every once in a while she would make a sound when she found an object or article she was particularly fond of ruined, but otherwise, worked with fervor.

When she moved to the kitchen to pack whatever food supplies she could, she found Wheeljack had made short work of any electrical appliance he could get a hold of. Wires were strewn every which way and the inventor was shoving what he was keeping in a plastic shopping bag. Crystal instructed everyone else to take the rest of the luggage out to the car while she went to grab Optimus.

The Autobot leader had pulled himself up into a sitting position in attempt to see what was going on. Crystal knelt in front of him.

“Sorry to keep hauling you around, but we have to go.”

“You should to go the police,” he told her weakly. “You could be in danger.”

“I have to get you out of the city,” Crystal argued. “We’ll worry about this later and you’re hardly in a position to tell me what I need to do.”

“These are... my troops,” Optimus told her. He was fading. “I am... Prime and I...”

“Oh, not today,” Crystal interrupted. “Today, I am Prime and you have no say until you’re better.” With that, she scooped him up and headed for the door.

Before stepping out, Crystal took one last look at her ravaged apartment. Most of her possessions had been ruined. Sure, it was just stuff, but it was her stuff and it was all she had. Worst of all, something in the back of her mind told her she would not be coming back. She took a deep breath to steel herself and then ran downstairs for the car.

Below, the trunk was packed and all the Autobots were gathered and ready to leave. Crystal placed Optimus in the back seat so Wheeljack could work on him while they drove. She then went to get in the driver’s seat when a man’s voice called to her.

“Ms. Carlisle, we need to have a word with you.”

Crystal froze and slowly turned around to see two men in suits approaching the car.

“Mr. Russo was a bit offended when you didn’t come back to see him.”

Her mind whirled with arguments and excuses. But she knew none of them would matter. These men were sent specifically to give her a message. They would not be dissuaded by anything she had to say so Crystal stayed silent.

“You’re not thinking of leaving town, are you?”

The second man frowned. “I think you need to come with us instead.”

At that remark, the first man felt something press against the side of his temple. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a white and black figure about the size of a small child standing on a trash can and pressing a gun to his head.

The second man balked in surprise.

“What the--”

“Don’t move unless you want to say good-bye to your knee caps,” Wheeljack said, pressing his blaster against the back of the thug’s knees.

“What the hell is this?” the first man demanded. “You can’t expect us to believe--”

Prowl shot at the ground, making both men jump. They stared at the smoking hole in the concrete as Prowl returned his blaster to the first man’s head.

“They are real, I assure you,” Prowl told him. “But I swear you will not be hurt if you kindly remove your weapons and hand them to my colleague over there. Communication devices as well.”

Both men slowly removed a hand gun and a cell phone each and dropped them at Ironhide’s feet.

“Mah metal detector says ya got more,” he insisted of the second man. “Give it up.”

Another gun was dropped, and a knife. When Ironhide had gathered them all, he promptly crumpled and bent the devices in his hands. One of the thugs took a step back in surprise of such strength from such a little thing.

“Crystal, get in the car,” Prowl said calmly, not taking his optics off the man in front of him.

Crystal did as she was told, shutting the door behind her. Slowly, the rest of the Autobots got in as well.

Prowl remained outside, watching the two men as Crystal pulled out into the street. He put his weapon away and nodded to the Dinobot leader. “Grimlock.”

Grimlock transformed into dinosaur mode and spat a neat line of fire right at the toes of the men. They jumped back and cursed, but did nothing else.

The remaining two bots ran for the car and Crystal drove off as fast as she could. The two men were left with a dying fire and wondering what they were going to tell their boss.

* * *

 

 

Crystal sped through the narrow New York streets as fast as the traffic would allow. Jazz, who was sharing the front with Grimlock, noticed she was gripping the steering wheel so hard it turned her knuckles white.

“Crys, you doing okay?”

Crystal swerved wildly into another lane to pass up the car ahead of her.

“Not now, Jazz,” she said in a strained voice. “I’m trying to get out of the city before anything else happens.”

Jazz looked ahead. “Crys! Red light! Red light!”

Crystal slammed on her breaks, jostling around the two Autobots in front. Wheeljack and Ironhide held onto Optimus while Prowl grabbed Blaster.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Crystal cried. “Everyone okay?”

“Just pay attention while yer’re driving!” Ironhide shot back.

Crystal kept quite as the light turned green and she pressed on the gas, slower this time. The group made it out of the city and onto the sparse traffic of the late night freeway. Inside the car it was silent. The only sounds were from Wheeljack welding on Optimus Prime’s broken circuits in the back seat. A pale blue light flickered from the repair, but Crystal tried to keep her eyes on the road. Soon New York City was nothing but glitter in her rear view mirror. No more thugs, no more Decepticons, just miles and miles of dark road ahead.

For two hours no one said a thing. The car radio played low, late night music the hardly drowned out the sound of the engine. Finally, Crystal pulled over at a gas station to fill her tank. The Autobots were all left in the car while she stood at the pump, blankly watching the numbers roll.

The pump clicked it was done and Crystal continued to stand there. A few pairs of blue optics watched her curiously, wondering what she was doing. The girl stared forlornly off into the darkness of the road they had come. Slowly, she slid down the side of the car until she was sitting on the ground.

Prowl and Ironhide were peering through the window, trying to see her and figure out what to do. Jazz was already climbing out of the passenger door. He walked around the car to find Crystal with her knees to her chest and her hands clutching her hair.

“Hey Crys, uh... how you holding up?” he asked as he tentatively approached her.

Crystal’s fingers dug deeper into her scalp. “Just having a little bit of a panic attack here,” came her muffled, strained voice. “I’ve got giant jets, metal cats and goons with guns trying to kill me. I left everything behind and now I’m out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of robots in my car, trying to trek across the continent.” Her voice continued to rise with panic. “This is not how I pictured it would go, Jazz!”

Jazz pushed her head up with authority, wedging himself between her face and her knees. He straddled her hips and pried the hands out of her hair. “Hey, don’t freak out on us now, okay?” He clapped his palms to her cheeks. “We need you. We’re past the hardest part. I know this wasn’t the plan, but if we can all make it back together, everything will be okay, I promise.”

Crystal stared at him, her face hanging in his hands. Then her shoulders sagged and she dropped her forehead to the white four on his chest, sighing heavily. Jazz, with lack of knowing what else to do, patted her head.

“You did good, Crys,” he told her in a softer voice. “It’s going to be okay.”

She lifted her head. “We should probably get on the road,” she said softly, though she looked tired.

She stood, lifting Jazz with her, and deposited him in the passenger seat before sliding into the driver’s side. There was a pregnant pause as she stared out the windshield, but then finally started the car.

“You should look for a place to rest for the night,” Prowl said from the back. “It’s getting very late.”

Crystal looked at him through the rear view mirror. “That sounds like a good idea.”

They drove for an hour more before stopping in front of a small town motel. The Autobots waited in the car as Crystal got herself a room with a single bed. Then she came back to steer the car closer to her room. It was late. No one else was around to witness the group of autonomous robots spill from the car.

Crystal carried Optimus in first and lay him on the bed. She went back out to gather what provisions she needed for the night.

“So what’s the verdict on our patient?” she asked upon entering again and closing the door behind her.

“Well, he’s as fixed as I can manage with the tools I’ve had to work with,” Wheeljack said. “But he’s lost a dangerous amount of energy. If anyone has any spare energon rations, now’s the time to bring them out.”

As everyone checked their personal supplies, Crystal decided she was done smelling like sweat and filth and jumped into the shower. She hissed as hot water spilled over her back and reminded her of all her new injuries. Her hand had been throbbing ever since the fight. The night's adrenaline had kept the pain at the back of her mind until now. It hurt to make a fist and the knuckles were swelling. It wasn't just a bruise, she had probably fractured something.

Not much Crystal could do about it tonight. She let it sit under the hot water, rubbing it as her hands started to shake violently. The full gravity of her situation came down on her like a weight on her chest. Even at the gas station, it didn't feel like it felt now; like the world was closing in and life as she knew it was over. All strength seemed to leave her body and she fell to her knees. All her internal horror was drowned out by the thrumming of the water.

Crystal emerged silently from the bathroom in her pajamas. The full realization of the night’s escapades weighed fully on her and the Autobots noticed. She trudged to the bed and slowly climbed in, taking care not to disturb Optimus laying on the other side. The Autobots looked at each other, but otherwise said nothing. Crystal curled up on her side with her back to them and let out a slow breath. Somewhere behind her, someone turned out the lights.

She didn’t know when she had fallen asleep. All she recalled was waking up in the dark, heart pounding as if something were after her. It took a moment to take in the shadowed, unfamiliar surroundings and remember where she was. Crystal sat up feeling groggy and disoriented. Her head was pounding and heavy, her mouth felt full of cotton balls. Her shirt was soaked in sweat.

She weakly got up and used the bed as a guide to feel her way over to her travel bag on the floor.

“Is everything okay?” asked Prowl’s calm voice from the darkness.

“I’ll be fine,” Crystal croaked. Her hands were fumbling and weak in the dark.

She dug through her bag for a spare T-shirt, then shed her sweat-soaked one. A line of moonlight streamed in through a crack in the curtains, spilling over her form. Prowl could see the heavy bruising on her bare back before she clothed herself.

Crystal got up and gingerly made her way back to bed. Prowl, noting her stiff movements, followed her and climbed up on the bed as she got in. As she lay staring at the ceiling, Prowl sat cross legged next to her. Crystal turned her head to look at him, thinking back to how he was always her ever present shadow, always behind her through everything. It made her wonder about him.

“Prowl?”

He reached out to touch her forehead. She jerked from the contact, but then relaxed again.

“Your body temperature is higher than what my research says is healthy,” he told her matter-of-factly. “You need to rest.”

“Prowl,” Crystal repeated as if she hadn’t heard him, “you’re real, right?”

He just looked at her, confused at the question.

“You’re alive. You’re not just a machine– a robot. You’re real.”

“Yes,” Prowl said softly as he leaned in closer, “I’m real.”

“Prove it to me,” Crystal whispered, desperation in her voice. “Prove to me that I didn’t just risk it all for nothing. Prove to me I really saved lives.”

Prowl didn’t know what to say. He never had to prove his existence before. How could one come up with logical, solid evidence one was alive aside from being one’s own self? There was nothing he could think of. Instead, the only response he could come up with was to pick up where he left off from the last night he sat in bed with her.

“‘ _Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar._

 _This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I hardly know, Sir, just at present– at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then...’_ ”

 

 


	7. Day Six: Crash

**Small Problems**

**Day Six: Crash**

 

In the quiet moments before dawn, when the sun was barely beginning to tint the sky with color, Megatron was not happy. Starscream returned, parading like a peacock that he had ended the existence of the great, but tiny, Optimus Prime in a bright ball of fire. And despite a body or any other Autobot casualties, insisted it was a sure victory for all Decepticon kind.

Megatron did not agree.

“It’s hardly my problem that you refuse to celebrate victory with us,” Starscream huffed.

It seemed inconsequential to him that Thundercracker and Skywarp had made themselves scarce.

Megatron snatched up Starscream by the throat, lifting him off the ground. “There is no victory,” he growled. “Optimus Prime is alive. I can _feel_ him!”

Despite Starscream’s precarious situation, he still managed to look disgusted with Megatron’s statement.

“Megatron,” Soundwave warbled as he approached. “Transmission from the Stunticons.”

Megatron threw Starscream to the ground. “It’s about time they checked in.” He stormed towards the communication screen and barked, “Report!” as he turned it on.

Dragstrip’s disinterested face popped on the screen. “Hey Megs, just thought we'd let you know we saw an Autobot try to get into the city earlier.”

“How many? Who was it?”

Dragstrip picked at his nose. “I dunno, that blue one that can fly. But we chased him off.”

Megatron scowled. “No doubt that didn’t stop him from taking a different route. How long ago was it?”

The Stunticon shrugged. “Like, last night sometime.”

“Last night?!” Megatron was fuming. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

Dragstrip shrugged again.

Megatron growled as he clenched his shaking fists on the control panel. But then he paused as a thought hit him. “Optimus Prime is no longer in the city,” he declared to no one in particular, then turned back to the screen. “Stunticons, patrol all exit routes back to the Autobot base. Find Optimus Prime!”

At this point, Motormaster pushed his way in front of Dragstrip’s communicator.

“Megatron, you’re talking about searching every interstate in the country. We can’t--”

“Do it!” Megatron cut the transmission and turned to Starscream. “You and your seekers are going as well. Find him.”

Starscream stared at his leader, jaw set. It was obvious he was biting back a retort. Even so, he quietly turned and paraded out to do his master's bidding.

* * *

 

 

Crystal shifted in her sleep; there was something next to her. It was solid and metallic, but warm and she curled up against it. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up when she found out she had been cuddling the red and blue form of Optimus Prime.

“Your body temperature was high, but you were shivering.” She looked over to see Prowl speaking to her matter-of-factly at the end of the bed. “I thought it would be better to keep you near something warm.”

Crystal just looked from one Autobot to the other and made her way quite unsteadily toward the bathroom. When she reached for the doorknob, she pulled back in pain. Her right hand was even more swollen than the night before. It was difficult to close her fist and painful to try. Opening the door with her left hand instead, she left it open and the roaring of the bathtub water was heard soon after.

“Optimus, how are you feeling?” Wheeljack asked as he climbed upon the bed.

Optimus touched the gash that still decorated his side. “I feel better after a night's recharge. No further leakage that I can detect. Just low on energy.”

“We all are,” Prowl admitted. “If we don’t get back in a day or two or if we have another battle, we might not make it.”

At that point, Optimus requested to be filled in on what was going on in his absence. Although Wheeljack wasn’t the best one to offer the story, he had to as Prowl was already off the bed and heading toward the bathroom.

He found Crystal on the floor, leaning on the tub’s basin with her head buried in her arms and injured hand soaking in the water. She looked as though she had fallen asleep again. Prowl had to climb over her long legs to get close enough to see the face hidden under her wild bed hair. She looked up at he peered at her.

“What’s your status?” he asked her seriously.

“Status?” she wondered, still looking drunk from sleep. Her voice was deeper than normal, as if something in her throat was muffling the sound.

“What is your... physical condition?” Prowl tried again.

Crystal lifted her hand from the hot water and tried to flex the fingers, flinching at the pain. “I think my hand’s busted from the fight.”

Prowl thought it over, looking uncertain. “Can you... repair it?”

“Not as such, but I can wrap it for now.” Crystal sniffed and shivered a bit. She was not happy to notice she seemed to be catching a cold. That was all she needed. She was too worn out for this mess.

Her head plopped back into her arms and she sat in stillness for several moments.

“Crystal? Are you going back into recharge?”

The girl let out a heavy breath like a forced sigh. “No, I'm getting up. Give me a moment to get dressed.”

When she emerged later in a sweater and jeans, the Autobots present had to admit she was looking more haggard than they had ever seen her. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot and the side of her face was beginning to swell where she had been punched the night before.

This was disconcerting. Their escort did not seem to be in the best shape and they needed her.

Prowl started after her. “Crystal, are you–“

She waved him off as she stumbled in the dim light toward the door.

Outside, around her car, more heads popped up. Ironhide and Jazz had been keeping watch all night. Grimlock hadn’t exactly been helping, but he was around and ran up to Crystal in dinosaur mode as she emerged.

“Crystal, me Grimlock practice hunting prey like car-ni-vor! Me catch rats and–“

Crystal reached out and clamped his muzzle shut. “Sh-shu-shu,” she cooed gently. “No, my pet. It’s too early.”

“But me Grimlock--”

“Too early,” Crystal insisted in a more forcible hiss.

Then she trudged toward the street, aiming for the gas station across the road. As she walked, she noticed that, as usual, she had a mini Autobot trailing her. But this time it was neither Prowl nor Jazz.

Optimus Prime paused next to her as she waited for the traffic light to signal them to cross. The two stood in silence for a moment. Crystal had no previous conversation with this one. She was neither sure what to say to him, nor was she feeling up to the challenge in her current condition.

“We can cross now,” Optimus Prime stated as the walk light was lit.

Crystal didn’t even notice she had spaced off until he had spoken and quickly moved to cross. Once inside the gas station, she grabbed herself an orange juice and a muffin for breakfast before aiming for the small collection of pharmaceuticals the store had to offer.

“What are you looking for?” Optimus wondered.

“Something of the non drowsy variety. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m sick as a dog and we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It's just an inconvenience.” She sniffled noisily and frowned at the selection. After a while, she picked out a few more items and headed for the counter.

The cashier, an older man, eyed Crystal strangely as he rang her up. “Forgive me saying so, but you look like you were in the losing end of a fight.”

Crystal coughed. “You got it half right; I won. Now how much is it?”

The cashier continued to look at her dubiously. “That will be twelve-oh-two.”

Crystal checked her cash. “Darn, no change. Hey shorty, you got two pennies?”

Optimus looked up at her. “I... do not have any human currency.”

Crystal grumbled as she paid. “You don’t even have two cents? What good are you, Optimus Prime?”

Optimus just stared at her as the cashier stared at him and adjusted his glasses. “Optimus Prime? You mean the leader of the Autobots? He looked so much bigger on TV.”

“Tell me about it,” Crystal said as she grabbed her bag of items and left.

Outside, she sat on the curb and began digging through her newly acquired provisions. The best thing she could find for her hand was medical tape. She immediately opened it and wrapped her first three fingers straight out to keep the knuckle fracture from further trauma. She bandaged the rest of her hand as well just to be on the safe side.

Optimus Prime sat beside her, waiting patiently for her to finish.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to find you,” Crystal stated.

“I know you and my Autobots did your best. I’m just glad I was found.”

“Me, too,” Crystal agreed. “No one wanted to leave you in the city.”

“I wouldn’t have faulted any of you. You would have done what you had to do.”

Crystal rested her good hand on the top of his head. Optimus stiffened at the contact. No one had ever done that to him before.

“Still,” she insisted. “I am sorry. I know going at it alone is a very frightening way to live.”

And with that, she got up and headed to the crosswalk. Optimus didn’t say anything as he followed. He didn’t have to. Though he never planned on telling his troops what he had gone through these past couple of days, it was nice to know that someone recognized the difficulty he had endured.

It was definitely an experience he was not used to. Not just the size, but the absolute loneliness of it all. He couldn’t even recall in his memory banks the last time he had gone it all alone. There was never need for it. No matter the mission, he was always surrounded by his fellow Autobots. Their company was a constant no matter where he went. When he had been alone for days without knowing where they were or what he should do to find him, he had felt truly lost.

As they waited again for the light, Crystal asked “So, be straight with me, Optimus Prime. How long could you guys last if I don't get you home?”

Optimus paused significantly.

“Don’t even think of lying to me now,” Crystal warned. “I’m not in the mood for it.”

“Two days, maybe less. Significantly less if we have any more battles.”

Crystal sighed as they crossed the road. “I even if I was at my best, I doubt I could do it in two days.”

Optimus folded his arms as he walked. “I am deeply sorry you got involved in this.”

Crystal humphed at the apology. “They were my decisions. I take responsibility for my own actions. It's not like you were even there most of the time.”

“You’re very blunt,” Optimus accused.

She shrugged. “Yeah well, I feel like crap so blunt is what you're going to get.”

By then they were back at the motel parking lot. Prowl was now sitting on the nose of her car with Jazz. Crystal handed him a road map with a, “For you,” before continuing inside her room. Without shutting the door, she flopped face down on the bed and stayed there as Grimlock climbed all over her and chatted about his night. Wheeljack told him to stop, but he was ignored.

Optimus stayed outside as Jazz and Prowl unfolded their new map and looked it over. He glanced over at the room and then back at his two seconds.

“She is not well, is she?” he asked.

“No, she isn’t,” Prowl confirmed, not looking up from his map.

“And she is injured.”

“She is.” There was a pause. “But she is safer with us. And if she can take us further west, I believe we can meet her half way. Ratchet much have Skyfire by now. We just need to get a safe enough distance away before we can radio him. At least a day’s drive. Maybe more depending on how our energy resources hold up.”

Only then did Prowl look up towards the open door. “If she can make it one more day, I think we can do the rest.”

“Let’s get her up then,” Jazz announced as he slid off the car. “The sooner we go, the more distance we put between us and the Cons.”

Optimus and Prowl nodded and all moved to put their plan into action. It took a while to get Crystal up again. She insisted on more sleep. So the Autobots did all her packing for her and put everything back in the car before dragging her off the bed. Crystal stumbled for the driver’s seat, noticing there was someone already occupying it.

“Haven’t heard from you in a while,” she told Blaster as she sat the radio in her lap while she buckled her seat belt.

There was a pause before Blaster responded. “Wheeljack took all my energy reserves. He said I wouldn’t use any energy if I didn’t talk.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow at the ruthlessness of the inventor. Then decided to herself that maybe it was just as well and handed the radio to the Autobots sitting in the back. For a minute longer she sat there, sighing and resting her forehead on the steering wheel. The Autobots began looking at each other, wondering what to do.

It looked as though she was ready to call the whole thing off. She was exhausted, sick, hurt. It would be so difficult to continue on. But then she stared for a moment at the tiny silver chime hanging from her rear view mirror. She poked it with a finger and the chimes made the lightest tinkling sound.

That noise caught Optimus Prime’s attention as well. He remembered those. The night before, when he was laying in the front seat bleeding, all he saw were the passing lights of the city and those chimes. Something about them felt profound to him though it took him a while to access his memory banks to remember what it was. There was an engraving on them of some sort.

Crystal read the words and it seemed there was something magical in the incantation. Sucking in a determined breath, she managed to summon extra fortitude and they were off on the road again.

* * *

 

 

Sideswipe’s plan was working. Bluestreak wasn’t sure how, but it was. Two Autobots and four Dinobots were making their way through New York City; slowly, but without any notice or city-wide panic. Which, Bluestreak had to admit, was the preferable result. Even if the plan still seemed ludicrous.

They were disguised as a float from the previous day’s parade. The Dinobots were stationed on a flatbed, standing as still as they possibly could, decorated with gaudy streamers and plastic flowers while the two Autobots towed them through the city streets.

Despite the parade being the day before, Sideswipe insisted they would just look like they were relocating one of the floats. So far it seemed to be working despite the fact that no one recalled a flowery dinosaur float in the Fourth of July Parade. That and, unknown to Bluestreak, they were giving off a rather rank odor whose putrid stink was unique to the foul harbor they had swam in the night before.

So far the only glitch in the plan was that they had yet to spy any sign of either Autobot or Decepticon. That worried Blustreak. Their convoy wasn’t exactly hard to miss. While the humans may not have realized what they had in their midst, either faction would recognize them on sight. The lack of response to their presence was not encouraging.

About a block away, Mr. Yamada was enjoying his first vacation to America with his wife and son. They were going to visit the Statue of Liberty later that afternoon, but for now, they were content to roam the city and take pictures.

Outside Central Park, Mrs. Yamada and her son Kenji smiled as Mr Yamada took their picture.

Just as the camera flashed, Kenji raised his hand and pointed towards the street. “Chichi, sore o minasai.”

Mr. Yamada looked and saw the haphazard, flowery horror slowly coming their way. The family made sounds of fascination as Mr. Yamada snapped some pictures.

“Nioi wa nan desuka?” Mrs. Yamada wondered, grabbing her nose and making a face at the stench.

As the camera flashed, Snarl turned his head from the irritating light. Kenji, eyes wide, gestured frantically at the Dinobots.

“Haha! Karera was ugokimawatta!”

Mrs. Yamada did her best to assure her son that they were probably just mechanical and not live beasts. Mr. Yamada, curious, approached Sideswipe and knocked on his window. His English was poor, but he tried to find out about the float.

Sideswipe, however, was listening intently to the family speak and searched his language files for a match.

“Kounichiwa! Hajimemashite,” he sang at the startled man.

At that point, Slag finally got fed up with standing still and slammed a foot on the flatbed, denting it considerably.

“Sideswipe stop talking strange!” he demanded. “Make sense now!”

At that cue, the rest of the Dinobots came to life in front of the terrified Yamadas.

“Me Snarl no see Grimlock anywhere.”

“Me Sludge no see Grimlock, too.”

“Autobots lie to Dinobots! Me Slag say Dinobots go look for Grimlock ourselves!”

Mrs. Yamada screamed and grabbed her son as the Dinobots clamored off the flat bed and ambled toward them, not giving the humans any notice.

“Hashitte!” Mr. Yamada told his family as he grabbed them and retreated as fast as he could. “Hashitte! Gozira! Gozira!”

By now, they weren't the only humans running in horror from the giant metal monsters.

The two Autobot cars stayed where they were as general panic began to spread in the wake of the Dinobots.

“So... what should we do now?” Bluestreak asked.

Sideswipe was quiet for a moment. “Kuroo o deshite.”

* * *

 

 

They had been driving for a few hours. Crystal stayed hunched miserably in the driver’s seat. All her good humor was gone. The meager breakfast she bought for herself had barely been touched and she hardly spoke a word unless spoken to.

Prowl and Optimus Prime were in the front with the road map. Prowl found it expedient to point out every entrance and exit Crystal had to take, otherwise she wouldn't notice and stray off course. They were lucky she was still managing to pay attention to traffic.

Crystal swerved unexpectedly to the side of the road and stopped the car, turning it off.

“I need a break,” she announced in a rough voice. She unbuckled herself and Autobots scrambled to get out of the way as she climbed into the back seat and curled up with her blanket.

“I need to sleep just for an hour. Wake me in an hour,” she mumbled.

Ironhide looked a bit put out that they had lost the majority of their sitting space, but Jazz was already solving the problem. He climbed on top of her, straddling her waist while leaning toward her ear.

“You want one of us to drive?”

“No.”

Jazz slid down to sit next to her, leaning against her stomach. “Why not? We’re technically cars ourselves. I could totally do it. I would just need someone to push the pedals and--”

Crystal palmed his head and pushed it towards the seat. “I said no! Prowl, take the keys. No one drives this car.”

Prowl reached for them on reflex, but then paused. He stopped to look at Optimus Prime who had not given him an order either way. He had been so used to taking orders from the human, he had forgotten his commanding officer was now present. And yet...

Optimus Prime waited as Prowl eyed him carefully. The white Autobot continued to reach hesitantly for the keys as if Optimus was going to tell him to stop at any moment. Prowl leaned further and suddenly snatched the keys and quickly scrambled into the already crowded back seat for safety. The Autobots currently back there protested at having to make room for another. Optimus watched in confusion while Ironhide and Wheeljack climbed into the front seat for some leg room.

“Looks like Prowl needs to visit the Doc when we get back,” Ironhide brooded in the driver’s seat. “He seems to be glitching a bit.”

“Nah, he’s fine,” Wheeljack assured them as he began poking around in the glove box. “It’s just his battle computer. It gives him a strong urge to follow the orders of the highest ranking authority figure without question. I guess right now, considering our current condition, Crystal ranks higher than you do, Prime.”

Optimus looked at him and Wheeljack instantly added. “Of course, that will change the second we’re back to normal.”

Ironhide huffed as leaned against the steering wheel.

“Doesn’t he have one 'a them crazy government experimental computers? Why don’t ya tell him ta toss that an’ get a normal one?”

“Ratchet and I both have offered a couple of times,” Wheeljack said. “He wants to keep it.”

“And it’s entirely his choice,” Optimus put in. “Prowl must certainly have his reasons.”

Ironhide huffed again. “Ah guess if he likes everyone thinking he’s a glitch head, it’s up to him.”

“I _am_ just in the back, you know,” Prowl’s indignant voice sounded.

Time drifted by lazily while Crystal slept. The interior of the car stayed quiet for the most part. Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and Ironhide conversed in low tones while Blaster, for once, kept to himself. It seemed Wheeljack’s threat had stayed with him. Prowl was still camping on the floor of the back seat while Grimlock’s dinosaur mode was snuggled in Crystal’s arms as she slumbered.

Jazz had managed to squeeze into the small space between the rear window and the top of the seat where he lay on his back, enjoying the sun shining down. For no reason he could fathom, he suddenly felt compelled to turn his head and watch the freeway traffic. After a few moments Jazz saw something that sent him scrambling.

“Blaster! Turn on your radio, man! Every frequency! Hurry!”

He fell on Crystal, who moaned in response to being bothered. But Jazz continued to crawl to the floor and shake the Autobot radio.

“Blaster!”

“Dude, I hear you! Be cool!” Blaster snapped back. “I’m on all frequencies.”

“Jazz, what’s going on?” Prowl asked.

Jazz handed Blaster to Prowl so he could climb on the seat and peer at the incoming traffic.

“Wait for it...” he said cryptically.

The car was dead silent. Every Autobot watched tensely out the window. The seconds ticked by.

Prowl looked down at Blaster. He wasn’t sure what Jazz was after but he knew, even at this distance, the Decepticons would pick up Blaster’s signal and that made him nervous every moment the radio was broadcasting.

“Anything, Blaster?”

“No response yet, Prowl.”

A minute went by. Then two. Then three.

Jazz made a whopping noise and hurried to open the passenger door, almost dumping himself out on his face in his haste.

Ironhide rolled down the window and he, Optimus, and Wheeljack all stuck their heads out, hardly believing their optics. Pulling up behind Crystal’s car was a bright yellow, and quite confused, Lamborghini. He had no idea why this car was emitting several Autobot frequencies, but he was about to find out.

“Sunstreaker!” Jazz greeted as he ran up to the car's nose. “Man are we glad to see you!”

“You gotta be slaggin’ me!” Sunstreaker shot back. “Is this for real? What the hell happened?”

“Give us a ride home and we’ll tell you everything,” Jazz grinned.

Sunstreaker gave a sound akin to a sigh. “Sure. It’s not like I just drove across the slagging country and now I’m going back again.”

“That’s the spirit! I’ll go get everyone.”

“Everyone? Wait, who is everyone? Jazz!”

As Jazz ran back to the vehicle that wasn’t a sentient robot from outer space, Optimus and Ironhide got out and approached Sunstreaker.

“You look like scrap, Prime. This is going to be one interesting story.”

“Indeed. And you have perfect timing, Sunstreaker. We badly need your help.”

“Well you know me. My timing is impeccable and– what is that?”

Jazz was leading a frumpy, bleary eyed human girl from the car.

“Oh no,” Sunstreaker protested. “I am not carting around organic matter inside my flawless--”

Crystal bent down to lay against his hood, pressing her cheek to the warm metal. “You,” she told him, “are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen in my life.”

“Yes, well...” Sunstreaker stumbled. “Who am I to deny someone with such a great eye for perfection?”

Jazz shot Optimus a thumbs up.

Prowl was steering Crystal toward Sunstreaker's door.

“But all my stuff,” she worried.

“We’ll pack it for you. You need rest.”

“What about my car? I just paid for it. I can’t leave it here.”

“I will send someone back for it, I promise,” Optimus assured her. “But we need to get going.”

Crystal paused when she saw the Lamborghini's small, one row interior. “We're all supposed to fit in the front seats?”

“Sunstreaker, can't you do anything?” Prowl asked; though his tone made it sound like an order.

“This is my design, Prowl,” he shot back. “You dare expect me to change this perfection?”

Prowl silently stood his ground, arms folded over his chest.

“Ugh! Fine!” Sunstreaker grouched. “You better remember all the crap I'm doing for you today. You owe me, Prowl.”

Despite her groggy haze, Crystal still found enough awe to gape as she saw the components of the Lamborghini's interior shift and change. Components moved around to form an impromptu back seat. Definitely not as comfortable as luxurious as the front, but Crystal didn't care. She just wanted a place to lay down.

Sunstreaker silently pouted. His outer frame had to alter with the changes from within. Now he appeared as something not quite right to the eye of a car aficionado.

“Thank you,” Crystal whispered as she clumsily crawled into the back seat. She wasn't sure if the yellow Autobot could hear her as well from the interior as they could when she was outside. Not having the strength to care, she flopped down bonelessly with a heavy sigh.

Grimlock climbed up to wriggle into her arms again.

Prowl got right to work organizing the other Autobots to pack what they could in Sunstreaker’s modest trunk space. Prowl happened to notice Optimus climb into the front seat of Crystal's car and grab the chime hanging from the rear view mirror. Prowl decided now was not the time to ask about it. He locked the car and climbed into Sunstreaker’s interior with the rest of them. Then the Autobots were on their way back home.

* * *

 

 

Ratchet almost hit his head as Teletraan’s screen beeped. He crawled out from under Skyfire’s large hull where he was repairing the jet’s engines. Brawn answered the call as Ratchet approached. Tracks appeared on screen with New York City behind him.

“This is Tracks reporting in. I’ve made it inside the city and located Sideswipe’s team. They were not hard to find,” he muttered under his breath.

“Good,” Ratchet acknowledged. “Any sign of our missing party?”

“Strangely enough, Ratchet, neither them nor the Decepticons have shown themselves. However, that may not be our biggest problem.”

Both Brawn and Ratchet looked confused.

“What do you mean?” the medic asked.

“Well, it’s--”

Behind Tracks, fire spewed into the background, followed by screaming people, then by confused, fire breathing Dinobots. Then in ran Sideswipe as Bluestreak pounced on him. The grey Datsun grabbed him by the throat and began to throttle Sideswipe like a rag doll screaming, “You’re so stupid! You’re so stupid!”

Tracks winced at the scene. “I’ve got to go. Back up would be appreciated.”

“Tracks, wait,” Ratchet tired, but the connection was already cut and a new Autobot signal was streaming through. This one was voice only, indicating the one sending it was in vehicle mode.

“Sunstreaker reporting in. You won’t believe this Ratch, but I’ve got Prime's team and I’m heading back to base.”

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Brawn marveled.

“All of them?” Ratchet asked, hardly believing the news.

“Oh yeah. Optimus, Prowl, everyone. I’m taking them back to the base right now. But I’d love it if Skyfire could meet me part way. None of them are in any shape to fight and I’m sure Decepticons will be on my tail soon enough.”

“They can’t fight? How damaged are they?”

“Well... I wouldn’t say damaged. But trust me, they’re not exactly in any shape to take on Megatron. You’ll understand when you see them. Any way possible for us to get back to base sooner would be great.”

Brawn looked at Ratchet. “What do you think he means about--”

“Roger Sunstreaker. I’ll send him as soon as I can. Ratchet out.”

He cut the transmission and went right back to work. “Brawn, see if you can contact Tracks again; or Bluestreak or Sideswipe. Tell them to get those slagging Dinobots out of the city and away from civilians. After we get Prime and everyone back to base, Skyfire will pick up the Dinobots.”

Brawn grinned and shook his head. “It’s sure been an interesting week.”

Underneath Skyfire, Ratchet’s voice muttered, “The next time Optimus asks me to take charge I’m going to shove this drill where the sun don’t shine.”

* * *

 

 

After a few hours of driving, and the third time Sunstreaker threatened Jazz with bodily harm for touching his radio, Crystal sat up and looked none too steadily over the front seat.

“Stop the car.”

“Look human, I’m not taking orders from you,” Sunstreaker spat back. “So just sit quiet and--”

“Stop and let me out or I’m going to hurl the contents of my stomach all over your interior.”

The Lamborghini screeched to a violent halt, his side door flinging open. As Crystal crawled out, Sunstreaker could be heard mumbling about the disgusting functions of organics.

Optimus got out and followed after the human as she waded through the weeds a few feet away. Crystal stopped and tilted her head skyward to enjoy the sunlight.

Optimus came up beside her and grabbed her non bandaged hand. “Are you still ill?”

Crystal closed her eyes, still facing the sun. “I’ll be okay. I just needed some fresh air. I was getting a little motion sick.”

The Autobot leader looked around. “We cannot stay here long. It’s possible we are being followed.”

Crystal looked down at him. She could see the Autobot's concern despite his lack of facial features. “I understand. Let’s keep going.” She stepped back into the car, but lifted Jazz as she sat in the front passenger seat, putting on her seat belt and setting Jazz in her lap.

“You’re not going to spew any kind of bodily byproduct on me, are you?” Sunstreaker warned.

“It will be fine. I’ll feel better when I’m up front and can see out the window.”

Prowl, from the back seat, tugged on Crystal’s sleeve.

“How are you feeling?”

She shot him a thumbs up. “I’m so drugged up right now, I don’t feel much of anything.”

“I would assume that’s good,” Wheeljack commented.

Prowl didn’t look convinced.

Sunstreaker pulled back out onto the road and they were on their way again. They didn’t get far, however, when everything shattered all around them.

* * *

 

 

Gears was relieved beyond words to see the Ark again. After two weeks in Africa, surrounded by swarms of bugs, massively dangerous land animals and miles of dust and brush, he was happy to be surrounded by metal walls again.

His team was comprised of himself, Hound, Mirage and Bumblebee. They were aware of the disappearance of Optimus Prime and his team in New York and returned as soon as they could, hoping the situation had changed by the time they arrived. The absolute silence and emptiness of the Ark confirmed that the crisis remained ongoing.

A few minutes of searching discovered Ratchet putting the finishing touches on Skyfire's repairs. The medic looked up when the four Autobots arrived and looked at them as if they were the most useless things he had ever laid optics upon. It was almost enough to make Gears turn right back around for the savanna.

“Better late than never, I suppose,” was the CMO's greeting.

“We got here as fast as we could,” Hound defended. “We were on the other side of the planet.”

“I could have used you days ago.”

“You're lucky you have us at all,” Gears shot out. “We didn't have to come as quickly as we did, you know.”

Ratchet leveled a heavy glare on them and then motioned to Skyfire. “Fine, just get in.”

“ _Now_?” Gears protested. “All of us? Some of us want to have a moment to get cleaned up first.”

“I would not be opposed to leaving Gears here,” Mirage volunteered. “I've been suffering through his griping for days.”

“NOW.” Brawn suddenly appeared behind the newly arrived Autobots and jabbed a finger toward Skyfire.

With a few grumbles, mostly from Gears, the Autobots boarded the jet and soon they were in the air. Ratchet did not leave anyone but Teletraan-1 to guard the base. It may not have been what Optimus would have done, but Ratchet was willing to bet all of Megatron’s resources were spent hunting their leader half way across the country. The unprotected base would be overlooked for the time being.

Halfway to their destination, Skyfire’s radio sprang to life as a heavily static SOS spat and hissed through his emergency system.

“This... Autobot Prowl. ... ambush.... Sunstreaker’s down.... help immediately...”

Ratchet was right at the controls. They were too slow, the Decepticons must have caught up. “We hear you Prowl. We’re on our way. Just keep sending us a signal.”

There was no response. Only more static.

Ratchet looked to Brawn who was grinning.

“It’s about time I got to bust some Decepticons.”

Ratchet frowned. “Skyfire, we need to get there, now.”

The jet lurched as Skyfire put on the speed. “Hang on, guys, we’ll be there soon.”

* * *

 

 

Crystal ran. She had no idea how she came to be in the woods or why she was running. Her heart pounded and she felt acutely afraid, though she didn't know why. She began to slow down, but then heard a heavy crashing somewhere behind her. Her heart filled with fear once more as she put on a fresh burst of speed.

She raced as fast as she could until she could no longer remember why she was running. Crystal stopped and looked skyward. What was she doing in the middle of the woods? Where was she? How did she get there? For that matter, the entire day was--

"Why are you stopping?" Wheeljack demanded, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"

Crystal allowed herself to be pulled forward and began running again. It wasn't long before she began to wonder why she was running and why she found herself in the woods.

Wheeljack pulled her down to sit in the shadow of a large tree. Crystal tried to catch her breath. How long had she been running?

Prowl was nearby, looking grave. "This is Autobot Prowl. We've been ambushed by the Stunticons. Sunstreaker is down. Send help immediately."

Prowl frowned when all he received in return was static. His size was probably interfering with his ability to transmit. He was sure at least some of his message had gotten through, even though he hadn't received a response. Backup had to be coming; he had faith in Ratchet. The main question was how long until help would be there?

Crystal listened to the transmission in confusion. What was a Stunticon? Who was Sunstreaker? Her hands began to sting. She looked down and saw they were sliced and bleeding. Something thick ran into her eye and she wiped it away. Her fingers pulled black, smeared in red. Blood. What had happened to her? What was going on? Her hand began to tremble.

"What's wrong with you?" Ironhide demanded. He certainly looked like he had more important things to worry about.

Crystal grabbed her head, looking utterly panicked. "What's going on? I don't remember what happened!"

The Autobots just stared at her. How could she have forgotten?

They had been driving along the freeway when the Stunticons tore into oncoming traffic. Sunstreaker had no time to maneuver and plowed nose first into Wildrider. While the Stunticon hardly received a scratch, the front of the Lamborghini crunched like an accordion.

The impact shot all of Sunstreaker's passengers violently forward. Despite her seat belt, Crystal's forehead hit the windshield on impact. Jazz, Optimus Prime and Ironhide, also occupying the front seats, were thrown clear through the windshield, shattering it, and onto the road.

Sunstreaker screamed at all of them to get out and get away. Prowl gathered his wits about him and reached over to undo Crystal's seat belt, then yelled at her to open the door. She had to kick at the dented metal a few times before it finally came loose. The remaining passengers managed to scramble out just as Motormaster stomped up and rammed his fist through Sunstreaker's hood. The group escaped through the trees and they had been running ever since.

The fact that Crystal didn't seem to recall any of this was disconcerting. None of the Autobots knew enough about human physiology to understand why, though any of them would bet that it was related to her bleeding head wound.

Crystal touched her forehead once more, horrified anew that it was bleeding. "What happened?" she asked again. "Where are we? Is everyone okay?" She looked around, counting the Autobots.

"Where's Jazz?"

"Over here," Jazz called. The windshield on his back was shattered from being thrown from the car. He was a bit dented up, but otherwise intact.

"Where's Blaster?" Crystal then asked.

"I have him," Optimus Prime said.

"Where's Grimlock?"

"Me Grimlock here."

"Where's Jazz?"

"I said I'm over here!"

"Where--"

Ironhide put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. "Fer cryin' out loud, it's like she's stuck on a loop. Everything we tell her she forgets two seconds later."

"We need to find a way to keep her calm," Prowl said as he observed Crystal. The human was horrified once again that her face was bleeding.

"Me Grimlock know!" And with that Grimlock, in robot mode, plopped himself in her lap.

"How is that going to help?" Ironhide demanded.

Crystal had already flung her arms around the Dinobot and tucked him in close. She did indeed seem to be slightly placated by his presence.

"Me Grimlock fix," he told them smugly.

"Optimus," Wheeljack said, "we've got to move or the Stunticons are going to find us."

"Wheeljack's right," Prowl concurred. "We need to lead them away from Crystal and stall them as much as we can."

"I'll see if I can get a hold of Ratchet," Jazz volunteered. "That way, at least we'll know if someone is coming."

Optimus nodded. "Autobots, let's do what we can to keep the Stunticons busy, but be careful."

His Autobots nodded to their leader and scattered into the woods.

Optimus placed Blaster by Crystal's side. The human's condition worried him. She was less responsive now and hardly noticed her surroundings. Her eyes were large and distant, the pupils were dilated. Dried blood crusted her hair and face, but the wound on her forehead still seeped slowly. Blood smeared on Grimlock as she continued to clutch at the Dinobot with shaking arms.

The poor girl didn't look well at all. The person who had been watching over his Autobots all this time could no longer help them. It was their turn to protect her.

"Grimlock, stay with her. If any Decepticons get close, get her out of here and stay hidden.”

"No need to tell me Grimlock! Me know!"

Optimus nodded. That was good enough for him; and he was gone.

* * *

 

 

There was no clear area for Skyfire to land. Most of the landscape was forest, but their targeted area wasn't difficult to spot. There was a massive pile up on the interstate going both directions. Skid-marks striped the asphalt, broken glass everywhere. State troopers had already blocked off the lanes where a few wrecked cars were out of commission, waiting to be towed. One of which used to be a yellow Lamborghini.

Skyfire hovered over the road so his Autobot passengers could jump out. They quickly fanned out to help the local authorities clear the lanes so traffic was free to move again and emergency vehicles could be on their way.

Ratchet ran to the dented form of Sunstreaker. The yellow Autobot sat motionless, all his windows shattered with a fist imprint in his hood. All four tires were blown and his nose was a mangled wreck.

"Sunstreaker, are you functioning? What's your status?"

"Those slaggers got me by surprise! Ran right in front of me! Now my engine's shot and I can't transform!"

"At least his vocalizer's still in top condition," Brawn quipped.

"Slag your creator to the seventh pit of the smelter, Brawn!"

“Sunstreaker, where's Prime and the others?" Ratchet asked before further bickering could occur.

"They took off into the woods and the Stunticons went after them. They got a human with them, too."

"Okay," Ratchet nodded. "We'll load you into Skyfire and then move to give Prime backup if he still needs it."

“There's no hurry,” Brawn insisted. “That group will make short work of those D-con wackos.”

"No Ratchet, you don't understand. I've been carrying them myself all this way. Megatron _shrank_ them. Prime, Grimlock, all of them. They're smaller than humans now. They're not match for the Stunticons."

All the Autobots fell quiet. This wasn't good. Ratchet's protective medic instincts kicked in full gear.

"Autobots, the situation has changed. Get Sunstreaker loaded onto Skyfire and then we're going in. This is a rescue only. We find our troops and get the slag out of here. No unnecessary battles. Everyone understand?"

They all nodded, fully realizing the seriousness of their predicament.

"Alright Autobots," Ratchet announced. "Let's roll out and get our guys home.”

* * *

 

 

Dead End stood listlessly next to Motormaster, obviously bored with tearing up the beautiful wilderness and told his leader so.

"This has to be one of the most ridiculous errands Megatron has ever sent us on," he lamented. "Finding miniature Autobots in all of this.” He gestured to the miles of thick, green foliage in all directions. “It's impossible and a waste of our time."

Motormaster gave him a look. “I'm sure you have so many other pressing matters to attend to."

"I would have found something," Dead End insisted.

From somewhere in the thicket, Wildrider screamed something about Optimus Prime, followed by rapid laser fire.

Motormaster grinned. "At least they're getting some exercise."

Dead End sighed as he pulled out his energy rifle and trudged toward the noise. "I'll go see what mess he's gotten himself into."

* * *

 

 

Jazz and Wheeljack ran through the undergrowth as fast as their little legs could carry them. The thick foliage made it impossible for them to escape in their alt modes. Behind them, the thick snapping of branches indicated that Drag Strip was close behind. The Stunticon couldn't make it through the forest in vehicle mode either, but was still easily gaining on them.

Nestled among the trees ahead, the fleeing Autobots came upon a small ranger station with an adjacent utility shed. Jazz snatched a coiled rope hanging on the side of the construct as they ran by.

"Hey man, I got an idea. Take this other end," Jazz called as he tossed one end of the rope to Wheeljack. "I saw this in a movie."

As per Jazz's instructions, the two Autobots hid between two trees, the rope stretched between them. They waited for Drag Strip to walk by and then pulled the rope taunt.

Now when Jazz had said movie, he really meant cartoon. So when they pulled the rope to trip the Stunitcon, he really shouldn't have been surprised when it didn't even slow Drag Strip down. The rope caught his foot, but without the proper weight resistance, the tiny Autobots were kicked into the air. The rope snagged around a tree and the two Autobots were sent whipping around the trunk only to collide with each other and fall to the ground.

"You're an idiot!" Wheeljack barked as he tried to climb out from under the stunned second-in-command. "What made you think that would work?"

"Hey, you're the scientist," Jazz shot back as she struggled to untangle himself. "I didn't hear you disproving the idea before we tried it."

"How fitting," Drag Strip announced above them. "Two Autobots, crushed beneath my heel."

He lifted his foot to squish them like insects. Jazz and Wheeljack, twisted up in the rope, could only accept their end.

However, the sound of metal colliding against metal interrupted their deaths and Drag Strip's body was sent flying. The two little Autobots stared in wonder as to what just happened when the blue form of a full-sized Autobot materialized before them.

"Mirage!" Wheeljack cheered.

"Man, are you a sight!" Jazz agreed.

Mirage smirked at them. "I can imagine." Without further pleasantries, he hastily grabbed the two with one hand and took off before Drag Strip could recover.

"This is Mirage," he said in his radio as he ran. "I've secured Jazz and Wheeljack. Come pick me up!"

Within seconds, the sounds of Skyfire's jet engines roared overhead and a rope trailed down through the trees. Mirage wasted no time grabbing it and climbing up to the safety of the jet.

"Wow, Sunstreaker wasn't kidding, you guys are tiny," Skyfire commented when he saw the two shrunken Autobots.

"It's certainly been an experience," Wheeljack replied. The tone of his voice said he was very much looking forward to ending said experience as soon as possible.

"Of course I wasn't kidding!" Sunstreaker's damaged form insisted. "I'm not someone who jokes about these things."

"Sunstreaker," Jazz said as he put his hands on the Lamborghini's dented door. "I'm glad to see you're still with us."

"In a manner of speaking," he grouched. "I don't care how small you guys are, Ratchet is fixing me first."

"Uh oh,” Skyfire said as blips began to appear on his sensors. “Skyfire to Ratchet. I have seekers showing up on radar. They should be arriving in less than ten minutes."

Ratchet's voice came in clear through the radio. "They, no doubt, will have Megatron and Soundwave with them as well."

A second voice came on the line. It was quieter and full of static, but unmistakeably Prowl's. "Then we are leaving in five minutes. If we can get into the air, then only the seekers will be able to follow us and we'll be leaving the Stunticons behind. Skyfire, continue to circle but keep an eye out."

"Roger that, Skyfire out."

* * *

 

 

Wildrider grinned evilly as he stalked his prey. Usually he was the type to just crash his way through. But he found a certain glee in chasing down something so small and toying with it like a cat with a mouse until finally crushing it. This Autobot may have been small, but he was also bright red in a sea of greens and browns. This made it impossible for the Autobot to hide and Wildrider was really enjoying himself as he took potshots at Ironhide every time he tried to scramble away.

Even now, he could easily see red paint poking out from behind a tree trunk. Wildrider grinned as he took aim. If it was this easy to kill this Autobot, think of how much fun it would be to go after Optimus Prime.

As if being summoned by mere thought alone, Optimus Prime materialized right in front of Wildrider's optics. To his horror, this Prime was not only no longer miniature size, but he wasn't even normal size. Optimus Prime was a giant, towering above the surprised Stunticon.

The massive Prime reached down to grab him and Wildrider screamed, frantically firing his energy rifle. All shots went right through the Autobot leader and he kept coming. Wildrider almost had a meltdown as his manic cries echoed through the woods.

Meanwhile, Hound, who was the right color to blend in with his surroundings, dashed from his hiding place, scooped up Ironhide, and ran out of there.

"This is Hound. I've got Ironhide and I need a lift."

As he ran, he almost collided directly with Dead End. Both were equally surprised to see each other. For a moment, they just stared, unsure what to do.

"Shoot him Hound!" Ironhide barked. "Shoot!"

Hound instantly reacted to the order and his finger squeezed the trigger on reflex, hitting Dead End square in the face. The Stunticon fell backwards with a startled cry, clutching the exposed wiring that used to be his face. Hound looked a bit disturbed at the scene. That wasn't where he meant to aim.

"Now that's how ya do it!" Ironhide cheered, jabbing a finger toward the squalling Decepticon.

Hound just stepped back from the sight and grabbed the rope as it dangled toward him.

* * *

 

 

It had stayed pretty quiet where Crystal was hiding. She could hear laser fire and startled cries in the distance. It caused her to clutch Grimlock tighter, but nothing came close enough to be considered an immediate threat. They were well hidden among some dense ferns, but Crystal wasn't exactly being as quiet as possible. Every few minutes she would forget why she was there and Grimlock would briefly explain in a gruff, short voice that she better be quiet lest she wanted to die. Not that he minded too much answering the same questions over and over. It was similar to living with Sludge, so he was used to it.

Nearby, the bushes shuttered and Crystal held her breath. Grimlock transformed into dinosaur mode and growled.

Out of the woods came a heavy-looking yellow and green robot. Crystal stiffened at the sight of him and pressed against the tree trunk, but Grimlock transformed back in robot mode.

"That just Brawn. Him Autobot. No need be scared of him."

"Brawn!" Blaster squawked, making Crystal jump again. "Get us the slag out of here!"

Crystal didn't look too convinced. Even if he was an Autobot, he was the biggest Autobot she had ever seen. And with even bigger robots around trying to kill her, she didn't know if she wanted to leave her little safety zone.

Brawn didn't look too thrilled with what he found. It was quite a pathetic little nest. He just hoped the human girl wasn't going to cry or anything. He hated when they did that.

"This is Brawn,” he said over the radio. “I found Blaster, Grimlock, and the human." He added as an after thought, "If you could give me a stationary lift that would probably be best."

Right then, Skyfire flew by and hovered over them, a line from his cargo hold hanging down.

Brawn reached out to the human girl. "Come on, kid. We're getting out of here."

Crystal looked at the massive gray hand offered to her. She hesitated only a moment before grabbing Blaster and taking the hand. Brawn pulled her out of the brush and easily lifted her in one arm without any warning. Crystal squeaked in surprise and clutched the radio tighter.

Next, Brawn grabbed Grimlock and set him on his shoulder before taking hold of the rope. Crystal, guessing what was going to happen, steeled herself by pressing as tight against his chest as she could. Beneath the metal armor she heard a thick, almost soothing thrumming. It distracted her momentarily before Brawn was yanked up into the air. She clung to him until they were hauled inside the large jet, in which Crystal squirmed free and scrambled away from the exit to sit against the wall, Blaster still in her arms.

There were robots even bigger than Brawn with the jet. They were moving around, talking to each other and on radios. Crystal very much felt out of her element, she didn't know what to do. Wheeljack and Jazz approached, still the same small size she was used to. She was relieved beyond words to see something familiar.

Wheeljack gently pried Blaster from her death grip so he could put the radio in a safe place.

“Hey Crys, you did good,” Jazz said, touching her arm. “You're safe now. You don't have to worry any more, okay?”

Crystal's response was to grab Jazz and pull him into her lap with shaking arms. He continued to murmur to her that everything would be okay while Grimlock sat himself next to her.

"We've got to get out of here, now!" Skyfire's voice barked from the front consul.

Ratchet was climbing up the rope into the bay with Prowl on his shoulder. "Roger that, we're almost done. Just one more to go."

Below them, Gears and Cliffjumper were running from Motormaster. Skyfire swooped for them and pulled up as they grabbed the rope. The duo went swinging back toward the leader of the Stunticons and Cliffjumper kicked him in the head as they went by.

"Don't do that!" Gears yelled at him. "You're just going to piss him off and he's going to start shooting--"

Motormaster was already firing at all of them as they flew away.

"All in and accounted for?" Skyfire asked.

Gears and Cliffjumper climbed in and Gears let Optimus Prime off his shoulders.

"We've got everyone."

"Then I'm heading back to base."

Ratchet and Prowl continued to stand at the open hanger door. They could see the Decepticon seekers fast approaching in the distance.

"They're not going to follow us," Prowl surmised. "Even if they could catch us, there's no guarantee they would win, and Megatron doesn't have the energy to gamble for that kind of confrontation."

As predicted, the seekers never pursued them and, instead, descended where they had left the Stunticons. Relief was felt all through the group. At last it was over.

* * *

 

 

The three seekers landed, Megatron and Soundwave transforming as they jumped from the cockpits. The defeated Stunticons slowly came out of the woods and rallied around their leader.

“IDIOTS!” Megatron raged, knocking a tree in half with a single blow. The Stunticons flinched at his temper. “How could you let them escape? You are utterly useless!”

No one said anything in their defense.

"It's too bad. We finally got this thing fixed," Rumble said as he climbed out of Thundercracker's jet mode. The little cassette pulled the newly repaired death ray with him. "We got no one to use it on now."

"Hey, let me hold it, Rumble," Frenzy said, grabbing the weapon.

"No way Frenzy, I've got it just fine," Rumble insisted, pulling back.

The two bickered and argued and tugged at the weapon until they both pulled so hard they dropped it. There was the sound of something shattering inside and a piece of the weapon fell off.

"Slag!" Rumble shouted.

"Just like last time!" Frenzy concurred.

The two froze when they realized what they just admitted.

Megatron was trembling with rage. "YOU!! You broke my death ray?!"

“We didn't mean to, we just--”

“I wasn't touching it, Frenzy said--”

Rumble and Frenzy both tried to explain at the same time, talking up a storm and making no sense whatsoever. Then they both transformed and fled inside Soundwave's chest. Soundwave was left alone, standing in front of his furious leader. The blue Decepticon couldn't help but take a step back as Megatron trembled with furry, glaring at Soundwave's chest as if he wanted to blow a hole right through it.

For all his rage, however, nothing else could be done. That was the most frustrating thing of all. Megatron clenched his fists and the forest echoed with his cry of rage.

* * *

 

 

Upon reaching Oregon and their home city of Portland, Skyfire's first stop was the local hospital to drop off his human passenger. Then he and the Autobots returned to their base to assess where to go from there. All the miniaturized Autobots were gathered in Wheeljack's lab where he was trying to get a newly repaired Blaster to sit still.

"Blaster, would you come sit down for just a minute?" Wheeljack called up to the larger bot. "We need to get those weapon plans downloaded."

"Come on, chill man," Blaster insisted as he danced around the lab. "I've been immobile for six days! Give me a break! Give me some time to move around a bit."

Ratchet's hand came down on Blaster's shoulder and he pushed him into a chair. "Sit!" the medic ordered and Blaster did as he was roughly hooked up to Teletraan-1 for the extraction of Soundwave's weapon plans.

"I should have fixed him after I got the plans," Wheeljack mumbled.

He stood on his work table, right next to the screen, trying to navigation with the large controls. The other mini Autobots were sprinkled around. Optimus had agreed with Prowl that it was a good idea all of them stay in one place until a device could be built that would bring them back to their normal size.

Sparkplug Witwicky, a long time friend of the Autobots, stepped in looking tired. "Well I finally got all the paperwork for your new friend sorted out," he said in a irritated tone. "I hate hospitals. They have a form for everything. And the fact that you guys didn't tell me she had a _lot_ of bruising from events prior to her accident didn't help at all. I had to talk to an inspector about domestic abuse. It's a good thing that girl was coherent enough to explain what happened. Boy it's been a long night."

"But she'll be okay, right?" Jazz asked. He was sitting cross legged on a chair that all but swallowed him.

"Yeah, they say she's fine. She had a concussion which gave her some temporary short term memory loss, but she'll recover. Her face though, we'll see how that heals. Girls can be very particular about their faces. They're keeping her at the hospital over night so they can watch her. She's still a little confused about what happened. But that will give me some time to figure out what I'm going to do with her in the morning."

Sparkplug looked down when he felt something brush his calf. It was Grimlock, nosing around his ankles.

"What are you doing?" he asked the metal dinosaur.

Grimlock just looked at him, growled, and wandered off.

"What's up with him?" Sparkplug wondered.

"He's been acting off kilter for a while," Wheeljack said without looking up from his work. "As soon as we fix our size situation I'm going to run a full diagnostic on him. You know Ratchet, we should send a copy of this to Perceptor on Cybertron. I'm sure he could figure it out real quick. He had a shrinking device of his own, I recall."

"On it," Ratchet nodded. "I'll send it right away."

"So," Jazz spoke up again. "We're probably going to be this way for another couple of days. Maybe one of us should stay with Crystal for a while. You know, so she's not by herself."

"I'm sure that would be fine," Sparkplug agreed. "But they're not letting you in with that, Jazz." He pointed to the Autobot's back which still sported shards of broken glass where his windshield used to be.

Jazz looked crestfallen.

"I'll go," Prowl said. He was already walking towards the door. "Please keep me updated while I am gone."

Sparkplug turned to follow just as Hound poked his head into the room.

"Hey Prime, I just got a call from Tracks, he's still in New York. He said Bluestreak and Sideswipe are in jail and the Dinobots are being held at the New York City zoo."

Optimus slumped while Ratchet put a hand thoughtfully on his hip. "Oh yeah... I forgot about those guys..."

* * *

 

 

Despite his preference to walk, Prowl was carried into the hospital. A few of the orderlies did double takes at him, expecting Sparkplug to be carrying a child in his arms. The second look confirmed he actually had a child-sized black and white robot.

The lights were dim in Crystal's room. There were two beds, the first unoccupied. The second housed a body with familiar rust colored hair splayed all over. Crystal rested with her back to them, her side rising and falling slowly. Sparkplug set Prowl down at the foot of her bed.

"I'll come pick you up in a few hours," he told the small second-in-command. "Or just radio the base if you need anything. I'll probably be there all night."

Prowl nodded wordlessly and watched the human go. He noticed Sparkplug shake his head as he left. Prowl wondered if it was odd to his long time human acquaintance to see them at this size. He was a bit surprised himself how much he was getting used to it. Though truth be told, he would still much rather be his own size again. But one more night at this height wasn't going to hurt.

He tread softly across the bed to sit cross legged near Crystal's head. She appeared to be sleeping. Prowl looked her over, taking note of her full condition and watching the movements of her breathing. The right side of her forehead above the eye to her hair line was bandaged as well as random bandages on her hands and arms.

After several minutes, Crystal's eyes fluttered open to land upon the visitor. "Hey," she said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Prowl asked.

"Mm... not too bad I guess. Everything's... kind of fuzzy. You're home now, right?"

"Yes, we're home."

"And everyone made it safely?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad."

Crystal shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them again when Prowl's small hand grabbed hers. He still reminded her of a cat. Independent, fully capable of taking care of himself, but still always returning to her for his own reasons. She idly wondered if she scratched him under the chin if he would purr.

"What are you grinning about?" Prowl demanded.

Crystal instantly tried squelch her smile. "Nothing."

Prowl frowned at her. While Crystal usually found Prowl's frowns amusing in their own right, she sobered as well.

"Hey listen, I'm really sorry about what I said to you the other night. About proving you're alive? That wasn't a fair thing to ask. I was a little freaked out and, you know, not feeling well. I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay," Prowl replied as he gazed thoughtfully at the doorway. "I think it's a question we all ask ourselves from time to time. How do we prove we are alive? How do different life forms prove it to us? It's a valid question. But one, unfortunately, not easy to answer."

"It's true," Crystal agreed. "But still no excuse to break down on you like that."

Prowl was quiet for a moment. He wasn't good with this kind of thing. Empathy, comfort; he didn't really know how to show it. Jazz did. It came natural to him. What would Jazz do at a time like this?

Prowl took her arm and pulled it over him as he slid up next to her. Crystal rested her cheek on the top of his helmet and Prowl could feel the rhythmic thrumming of her heart pressed into his shoulder.

"You never have to apologize,” he said. “You did everything you could for us. You gave more than you should have had to. For that, we are all thankful."

There was a deep vibration in Crystal's chest as she chuckled.

"I bet you guys were awesome, too, out there fighting those giant Decepticons. Definitely a combined effort."

"Yes," Prowl agreed. "Would you like... me to read some more to you?"

Crystal smiled tiredly, closing her eyes. "Sure, why not?"

 

 


	8. Recovery

**Small Problems**

**Day Seven: Recovery**

 

Crystal awoke to a heavy pressure in her sinuses and a horrible dryness in her throat. In her groggy, medication-induced stupor, it took a while to put the pieces together of the last few days: the fighting match, the Decepticons, the altercation at her apartment and the frantic evacuation thereof. Everything was fuzzy after that. She still couldn't recall the car accident. Or, Autobot accident, since she supposedly wasn't the one driving when it happened. Snippets of running through the forest and being afraid still teased her recollection, but the rest was a blank.  
  
The end result of their adventure left her in the hospital, being treated for a concussion, among other things. Crystal wasn't allowed to sleep more than a few hours at a time- proper protocol for a concussed patient. Prowl didn't like it. Every time the nurse came in to rouse her she looked startled and confused. He was glad he had agreed to sit with her. Leaving the human here alone didn't seem right at all.

She was released from the hospital the next morning and Sparkplug returned to pick her up. Crystal vaguely remembered him from the night before when he helped her fill out paperwork. Prowl was there to confirm that this man was a friend of the Autobots and she could trust him.

Crystal zoned in and out on the drive back to Sparkplug's place, barely managing to stay on her feet as she was led into the house. She was guided to a bedroom. Sparkplug pulled back the covers for her and Crystal's mind oddly latched onto the rocket bed sheets. Somewhere in her consciousness she acknowledged this man had a son before flopping face first onto the bed. Before the covers were even put over her, she was out.

This time, Crystal was allowed to sleep undisturbed.

When consciousness found her again, it was still light outside. She slowly tested her muscles to see how much they hurt today. Her head ached and felt heavy, the cold that had been brewing was now solidly moved in.

“Mornin' Sunshine, it's about time you woke up.”  
  
Her vision was blurry at first, but she was finally able to focus on the bright blue optic band.  
  
"Jazz?" she croaked, her throat parched. It hurt to talk.  
  
"You've been asleep for a while." Jazz looked happy as a clam to be next to her, arms folded behind his head. He was clean, but still banged up from their adventure. Crystal recalled hearing their full repairs wouldn't take place until they were brought back to their original size. Currently, they were too tiny for their medic to work on them.  
  
She tried to balance on her elbow, but she was wobbly at best.  
  
"How long was I asleep?" The last word almost cut off completely. Her mouth was so dry it felt like the walls of her throat were sticking together.

“About twenty-four hours.”

“What?” A surge of energy shot through her in surprise. She slept through an entire day? She had never done such a thing in her life. If she missed a day, that meant today was... was... Crystal sighed as she slumped back down. She didn't have a freaking clue what day it was any more.

“You looked like you needed the sleep,” Jazz said as he felt her forehead. It was quite a human gesture, but far more practical for a Cybertronian. His sensors told him exactly what temperature she was.

“You're still a few degrees warmer than you should be. How do you feel?”

“Ugh, like crap.” She paused. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be back at your own home?”

“They're still working on bringing us back to proper size. Our medical officer banished us here after almost stepping on Grimlock for the third time. So we're sticking around to take care of you this time. Can I get you anything?”  
  
Crystal gave a shallow cough and then a sniff. “I need water.”  
  
“No prob, I'll radio Prowl to bring you some. You can stay put."  
  
Crystal flopped down on her pillow with another congested sniff. "Thanks, Jazz."  
  
A minute later, Prowl came into the room, a glass of water in his hands. He handed it up to Jazz before climbing up on the bed himself. Crystal attempted to sit up against the headboard so she could properly drink while Prowl sat himself on the other side of her.  
  
"I trust Jazz did not disturb you while you were sleeping?"  
  
Crystal shook her head, swallowing so she could talk. "I was so dead to the world, I didn't even notice he was here."  
  
"That's because I don't have any pointy bits like Prowl does," Jazz said as he motioned to the small scratch running down her cheek.

It was from when Prowl spent the night with her in the hospital. Crystal slept too close and moved just right, giving herself a shallow cut from the red crest on his helmet. It hardly broke the skin at all, but Prowl still felt guilty about it. He also didn't appreciate Jazz bringing it up.  
  
Jazz waited until Crystal was situated before handing the glass of water to her. Eagerly, she drank it down, her throat badly in need of liquid. A split second later she was coughing it back up, trying to get most of it in the glass instead of on the blanket. Jazz and Prowl were both on the alert, hoping her reaction wasn't serious.  
  
"It's hot!" Crystal gagged.  
  
"Of course," Prowl insisted. "My research indicated that warm beverages were beneficial to humans in your condition."  
  
"Yeah, like tea or something. Not plain hot water. That's disgusting! Water should be cold."  
  
Prowl looked extremely perplexed by this. "I fail to see how the temperature of a liquid affects its appeal. No matter how hot or cold it is, water still tastes like water, does it not?"  
  
"I'll get it myself.”  
  
Crystal grabbed the blanket decorating the bed and hauled it with her as she got up, not caring about the two Autobots scrambling to avoid being pulled off with it. She shivered despite it being the middle of summer. The fact that all she wore was a large T-shirt, socks and a pair of cheap, white panties didn't help to keep her warm.  
  
Slowly, Crystal shuffled into the bathroom and looked herself in the mirror. When she couldn't see much, she suffered herself to go back and turn on the light and then addressed the mirror again. It was still hard to see without her contacts or glasses, but was too sick to care at the moment. More important was the cold water she could get from the sink and Crystal bent over to have her fill.  
  
When her burning throat was properly irrigated,she straightened, now feeling light-headed from bending over. Instead of going back to bed, she let herself sit right on the bathroom floor, back against the tub and blanket around her.

Prowl and Jazz watched from the doorway when Sparkplug poked his head in.  
  
"Boy, you look like hell warmed over."  
  
"Yup," Crystal confirmed. "I'm sick as a dog.”  
  
"Well, I stocked up good for you: orange juice, lozenges, the works. You should be set."  
  
"Thanks. I'm sure I'll be using all that today."  
  
"You're welcome to it." Sparkplug paused, hands in his pockets as Crystal sniffed a bit more. "Uh, listen, I have this thing I do every Tuesday. I go down to a buddy's house and we restore a few cars in his garage and have some beers. But if you need me to stay here--"  
  
Crystal was already shaking her head, cutting him off. "No, I'm totally fine. It's just a cold. Keep yourself as far away from me as you can, I don't want to give it to you."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, please go. I'll be just fine."  
  
"Plus you have several helpers if you need anything." Sparkplug placed a heavy hand on top of the two Autobots' heads.  
  
Crystal looked like she wasn't sure how helpful they would be. The look wasn't lost on Jazz or Prowl.  
  
"Okay, well help yourself to anything you find in the kitchen and my number is on the fridge if you need me," Sparkplug continued. "Also, my daughter-in-law Carly will be dropping by in a while with some clothes for you."  
  
"Thank goodness," Crystal sighed, relieved. "I miss having clothes. I really appreciate it. I can totally pay you guys back when--"  
  
It was Sparkplug's turn to wave her off. "Don't even worry about it, it's all on the Autobots' tab, believe me."  
  
Crystal was too sick to even ask about what that meant.  
  
After making sure she wanted to keep sitting on the bathroom floor (and Crystal assured him she did) Sparkplug grabbed his keys and was out the door.  
  
After a while, Crystal got up the energy to get back to her feet and face the sink again. She made a half-hearted attempt to gather her wild hair before addressing the bandage on her forehead. The cuts hadn't been cleaned and dressed since she left the hospital. She started picking at the bandage, trying to find the best way to go about removing it.

"Oh, you're going to tend your wound?" Wheeljack was suddenly standing on the toilet seat, face right in hers. "I want to see it. Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"You just want to satisfy your morbid curiosity."  
  
Crystal hissed as she managed to get the top layer off. There was still a more delicate gauze underneath to protect the raw wound. The windshield glass had not been kind to her face. There were no clean cuts to stitch back together. Just skin scooped out, leaving exposed flesh and embedded glass shards behind.  
  
"Yes, but I can still be helpful while I'm at it," Wheeljack insisted.  
  
"I'll see. Give me a second."  
  
Crystal attempted to peel off the final layer, but it was stuck quite good into the open wound.  
  
"Great. It's all soaked up in my... skin goopy," she moaned. "Ugh, this is gross." She swayed a bit, feeling light-headed again.

Wheeljack grabbed her shoulder to steady her. "Go sit down, let me take a look at it."  
  
Miserable and tired, Crystal did what she was told. She sat herself back down on the bathroom floor and pulled the blanket around her. "Soak a cloth in hot water. That should help."  
  
Wheeljack did as he was told and, by the time he had the bandage thoroughly soaked, they had an audience. Every Autobot occupying the house was now sitting in the bathroom, completely entranced with the sight of human flesh wounds so close. Grimlock sat in her lap so he could watch from below. Optimus Prime stayed near the door while Ironhide, surprisingly, was right behind Wheeljack, full of morbid curiosity himself. Crystal tried hard not to squirm as she left her well-being in Wheeljack's metal hands.  
  
"I'm going to attempt to remove it now," Wheeljack said in the tone of a well-practiced surgeon.  
  
"Go slow," Crystal begged. "If the skin sticks to it, don't pull any more."  
  
Wheeljack took his time, slowly coaxing the material from the torn skin. The hot water loosened its hold and it finally peeled off, the damage now in full view. The Autobots crowded closer, each taking their turn to get a good look at the gore.  
  
"I'm going to take some digital stills," Wheeljack announced. "I want our medical officer to see this."  
  
"Sure, why not?" Crystal sighed, feeling like a freak sideshow anyway.  
  
"My sensors indicate there are foreign elements in the skin," Prowl informed her. "We should remove them."  
  
"Yeah, the doctor said there was still glass in there," Crystal said. "I'm going to give it a few more days then I'll start picking it out. It will be fine until then. I just want to give it time to heal."  
  
"Amazin' how human skin can just pull itself together after something like that," Ironhide marveled as he got closer. "If I came to Ratchet looking like that he'd get me a new face plate."  
  
"Lucky you," Crystal muttered, huddling further into her blanket.  
  
She suddenly stiffened as a strange look came over her face. Ironhide leaned closer, trying to figure out what was going on. Crystal lurched with her whole body, startling all the Autobots.  
  
"Achoo!"  
  
Ironhide looked more disgusted than he had ever been in his life as he was sprayed with wet, organic matter.  
  
"Sorry," Crystal sniffed.  
  
"Fascinating," said Wheeljack.

* * *

 

 

About an hour later, Crystal's forehead was newly bandaged and she had stationed herself on the couch. She was now accumulating an impressive pile of used tissues.

Ironhide frowned as she blew her nose into another one and dropped it on the pile. "That's the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.”

Crystal sniffed again and the color continued to slowly drain from her face. She lay curled up on the couch, squinting at Judge Judy on the television. She wished she had her contacts or even a pair of glasses. Life just really sucked right now.  
  
"Hello?" a female voice called as the front door opened.  
  
Crystal opened her mouth to call, but nothing came out. It felt like she had swallowed sandpaper. After a second failed attempt at making noise, she gave up and decided to let the Autobots handle it.  
  
Carly Witwicky walked in, shouldering two grocery bags. She had been informed beforehand of the Autobots' current size situation and was secretly eager to see it for herself. But she still wasn't prepared enough to find a nearly toddler-sized Ironhide with a full-sized frown on his face.  
  
"Ironhide," she greeted with an ear to ear grin.  
  
"Carly," he returned curtly.  
  
"I hear you guys have had an interesting time this past week."  
  
Her bright-eyed, glee-filled expression only made Ironhide's frown etch itself deeper as his engine growled. He followed her without another word into the kitchen where she was finally able to unload her arms onto the counter.  
  
"So everybody's been staying here I assume?" she then asked.  
  
"Yup," Ironhide confirmed. "No place for us at the Ark, Ratchet said. He kicked us out."  
  
Carly looked down at him, hands on her hips. "Well I can understand that. I'm sure he didn't want anything else to happen to you guys until he and Perceptor can get you the right size again. You might as well enjoy the vacation while you can."  
  
"Hi, Carly," Wheeljack said as he walked in, cutting off any grouching Ironhide had planned.  
  
The woman's face became even more delighted. She couldn't help but squeak out a small sound of adoration.  
  
Ironhide huffed, shoulders slumped. "Really Carly, haven't we been through enough?"  
  
"I'm sorry," she gushed, “but you're just so adorable! I'm going to hug you and you can't stop me."  
  
Ironhide actually tried to scramble away, but the human woman was too fast and he found himself dangling from her arms as she cuddled him. The red Autobot suddenly felt grateful Crystal hadn't been so inclined to constantly pick him up like this.  
  
"I'm so glad you guys are okay. When I heard you all disappeared we were worried," Carly said as she hugged him, making Ironhide's irritation deflate a little. He always had a soft spot for Carly. Then she kissed the side of his head and he made a great show of disliking it, even if a part of him appreciated the affection and concern.  
  
"Okay," she finally relented as she put him down, “I'm done. I'm sorry." She was still grinning, not sounding apologetic in the least. "So where is your new friend?"  
  
"We're all in here watching TV," Wheeljack offered, pointing toward the living room. His fin lights were so much cuter when he was pint-sized.  
  
Carly followed both Autobots into the other room to find a young woman slouched on the couch. She had long limbs, pale skin and hair of a coppery shade Carly had never seen before. The girl looked up with baggy, gray eyes, the area around her nose red and raw.  
  
"Hello, I'm Carly, Sparkplug's daughter-in-law. You must be Crystal."  
  
Crystal squinted at the woman, blinking to try to get a better picture. She looked to be late 30s, blonde hair lightening a bit from age.  
  
"Hi," she ground out as best she could.  
  
"You poor thing, you look awful."  
  
"I feel awful.”  
  
"Sparkplug said he left you here while he went off to drink and play around with his buddies. He probably didn't even see to you being fed before he left.”  
  
Something next to Crystal moved its head and Carly almost jumped in surprise. "Oh! Optimus! I didn't even notice you there!"  
  
Optimus Prime had been sitting next to Crystal on the couch. For some reason the blanket was covering his legs as if he had the chills himself. His size, coupled with the fact that Autobots could sit as still as an inanimate object when they wanted to, made Carly's brain merely assume he were some sort of teddy bear-sized object. She didn't expect it to come alive until she realized who it was.  
  
"Hello Carly, it's been a while," the Autobot commander responded politely. "How have you and your family been?"  
  
"Oh everyone's fine. Spike keeps himself busy at work and Daniel... well, he's being Daniel. You know how he is." She returned her attention to the other human in the room. "Anyway, I brought you some food since I know how well my dad stocks his cupboards. I've got some soup and some fruit and a few other things. Have you eaten today?"  
  
Crystal shook her head and suddenly she was starving at the thought of food.  
  
"Of course you haven't," Carly grumbled. "That's so my father. You wait here and I'll fix you something." She turned and almost tripped over the robot grabbing her leg.

"Carly," Grimlock said as he tugged on her pant leg in robot form. "Me Grimlock go cross country. See so much!"  
  
"Did you?" the blonde gushed with glee as she picked him up.  
  
Grimlock seemed to mind the handling far less than Ironhide had. They were just so cute at this size. Carly was a little jealous. She wanted to take them all home.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot. I was going to buy you some clothes, Crystal, but the Autobots managed to bring all your things from your car. Everything has been towed out front, waiting for you."  
  
"Really?" Crystal squeaked with her scratchy voice. "I didn't think I'd see them so fast."  
  
"Yes well, the Autobots have all sorts of resources at their disposal." Carly winked at her.  
  
Crystal made a weak effort to get up to help retrieve her things, but was immediately blocked by a black and white Autobot with a red chevron.  
  
"Crystal, you will stay here and rest," Prowl told her with the most authority in his voice she had ever heard. "The rest of us will bring everything in."  
The girl sat back with a tired sigh.  
  
"Hey Carly," Jazz said as he appeared from the kitchen. She jumped at his sudden appearance. "Got your keys. We'll just go help ourselves."  
  
Carly mentally counted them all. It looked like all were present. "Okay you guys do that and I'll start cooking.” She smiled once more at Crystal. “We'll get you feeling better in no time."  
  
While Carly went to the kitchen, the miniature Autobots set to work dragging in the several bags stuffed with Crystal's life possessions. As they piled up around her feet, she found the strength to crawl among them. It was so good to see all her belongings again, to touch something familiar after all she had been through in the past few days. Unfortunately, everything had been packed so quickly, it was difficult to locate anything specific.  
  
Crystal only owned two travel bags. Everything else had been shoved haphazardly into trash bags. The going was slow as she tried to process what was packed where.  
  
"What are you looking for? Can I help?" Prowl asked as he moved to her side.  
  
"Some clean clothes would be good. Also trying to see if I packed my old pair of glasses. I think I did." Crystal shoved her hand deeper into the nearest bag. "Oh man, I hope I did. I don't want to spend the next few weeks like this."  
  
She made a pleasantly surprised sound as she found a pair of pajama pants and eagerly shimmied into them.  
  
"Me Grimlock find your panties," the metal T-Rex exclaimed as he spat out part of a shredded trash bag. "So many colors."  
  
Crystal sighed and covered her face with one hand. "Thank you, Grimlock."  
  
Carly called that food was ready and Crystal gave up her search in exchange for sustenance. Waiting for her on the table was a bowl of steaming tomato soup, toast and sliced melon. Crystal had never seen anything so beautiful and her stomach ached at the sight. She thanked Carly before slowly savoring her meal.

The older woman disappeared into the living room where she let out a surprised noise. Crystal felt a bit guilty. She was sure the place was a mess now with everything scattered all over. Hopefully, after she was done eating, she would have the strength to get it in order before the house's owner returned home.  
  
Crystal had almost finished eating when Wheeljack came in and placed a small case on the table. She made a happy noise despite the toast in her mouth and pulled out a pair of glasses. They were an older prescription, but improved her sight greatly. It was a small comfort as she finished the last bite of her meal and returned to sort through her things.  
  
Carly met her in the threshold. "I got you a towel so you can go enjoy a nice hot bath."  
  
A bath. Crystal couldn't even remember the last time she had cleaned herself. So much was missing from her memory in the past few days. Judging from her hair, it had been a while.  
  
"I really appreciate all this,” she rasped. “I didn't mean to arrive on the west coast in such pathetic condition."  
  
"Oh, you're fine, hon. Don't worry about it," Carly waved her off as Crystal knelt to find some suitable clothes. "And don't worry, I'll keep an eye on these guys to make sure they don't nose around too much into your personal items."  
  
After finding a clean shirt and some underwear, Crystal stood and looked over the group of robots rifling through her bags with a certain fatigue. "I don't even care anymore," she muttered as she dragged herself to the bathroom.

Once in a tub with hot water, Crystal stretched out with a heavy sigh. The tub was too short for her long-limbed body, as most of them were. Her knees were high in the air as she carefully dunked her hair, keeping the bandage on her face dry. Everything was sore and bruised and dirty. Her knuckles, now purple, were aching.  
The doctor had braced her two fingers together to help the chipped knuckle heal.

The water felt so good to her battered body. She lay back in the heat, eyes closed with a pleasant sigh.

Her eyes popped open as she thought she heard the door open. There was a small shadow on the other side of the shower curtain. Crystal winced as she forced her limbs to sit up. She leaned over the edge of the tub, only her head visible as she peered out.  
  
Wheeljack stood pragmatically on the bathmat, an electronic pad in his hand.  
  
Crystal winced at the bright lights of the bathroom. A few days ago, she probably would have had a fit at any Autobot who dared enter while she was naked. At this point, she was so passed caring.  
  
"What?" she asked flatly.  
  
"Prowl decided I was the most qualified to put together a full report of all your physical injuries. Now seems to be the best time to assess the damage since you're not wearing--"  
  
"Go away."  
  
"I'm sorry?" Wheeljack asked.  
  
"Turn around and walk out. Tell Prowl if he sends anyone else in here I'm going to punt him and you across the room."  
  
The Autobot's optics widened for a moment. "Uh, understood." He turned and opened the door.  
  
Carly's startled cry of "Wheeljack! What were you doing in there?" was followed by the blonde poking her head into the bathroom. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you the lock is broken. I'll make sure no one else comes in."  
  
Wheeljack's volunteer of "I'll fix the lock!" was immediately vetoed as Carly shut the door. Crystal was not bothered again.  
  
After a thorough soak, she let the water drain and turned on the shower to properly wash her impressive length of hair. After such a chore, she found herself physically exhausted as she turned off the faucet. With the little strength she had left, Crystal stumbled into her own pajamas and trundled back to bed, hair wrapped in a towel.  
  
Most of her bags had been transferred to the room by then. Crystal climbed over them all and flopped on the bed, back to the door.

Carly poked her head into the room to check on the young woman. As she did, Prowl walked in below her. Carly almost warned him not to make any noise, but then felt silly for even thinking of lecturing Prowl, of all bots, to be quiet.  
  
The white Autobot navigated soundlessly through the refuse of what remained of Crystal's life and Carly let him be.

As careful as he could, Prowl managed to pull himself onto the bed and tug a blanket over the inert human form. Crystal stirred momentarily to snuggle more into the blanket and then stilled. Once satisfied with his task, he sat himself on the opposite bottom corner of the bed, facing the door as if making himself the guardian of the room.  
  
Jazz walked in a moment later. Prowl silently offered a hand and pulled his fellow second onto the bedside with him. The two sat in silence for a moment, legs dangling off the side.  
  
"Crazy--" Jazz started to say and was immediately shushed by Prowl. He switched to internal radio contact so the two of them could converse without sound.  
  
_Crazy week, huh Prowl?  
  
Crazy week,_ he responded.  
  
_Not that we haven't already been a part of some heavy slag in our lives, but this kinda feels like one of those times where we're just not going to look at the world the same after this. Sort of that same feeling when we woke up here on Earth._ Jazz glanced back to the body behind him.  
  
Prowl did the same. _Agreed._

 _I'm glad it's pretty much over,_ Jazz continued. _It's been such a rat race, I just want to follow her lead and curl up into a coma._ He started to crawl over to Crystal, but Prowl grabbed him by the ankle, tugging Jazz back.  
  
Jazz turned with a frown while Prowl frowned right back, shaking his head. Jazz sat back on the foot of the bed, pouting with arms crossed.  
  
Grimlock came in a few seconds later. In robot mode, he climbed none too quietly over the different plastic bags.  
  
"Grimlock," Prowl hissed at him.  
  
The Dinobot ignored him and continued until he was next to Crystal's side of the bed. He reached up and tugged Crystal's hand. Prowl was nearly at his feet, ready to order Grimlock out of the room. But Crystal was already stirring. She opened her eyes to see Grimlock change expectantly into his dinosaur mode. Without hesitation, she pulled him up with her and snuggled the metal reptile against her chest, promptly going back to sleep. Grimlock's muzzle rested at the crook of her neck and he emitted a soft rumble, like a cat purr.  
  
Prowl vented air and decided to let it go.  
  
In the doorway, Ironhide shook his head in derision. Ever since the human had gotten sick, he treated it as if he were in danger of catching the virus himself. Humans were disgusting with all their different fluids and body functions. They were even worse when they were sick. It was curiosity at first, but Ironhide decided he was going to stay away from the mucus factory for a while.  
  
A glance down the hall, the red Autobot noticed something dark and suspicious slink into the back bedroom. For a moment, Ironhide thought his optics were glitching. What sort of creature was that supposed to be? And what was it doing skulking around in Sparkplug's bedroom? Maybe this human dwelling had some sort of unwanted intruder.  
  
Ironhide carefully made his way down the hall. It was darker down there than in the main room. Poking his head into Sparkplug's bedroom, it was just as gloomy. The shades were drawn to block out the summer sun, all lights turned off. Ironhide wandered around the area. He had known the old man for years and years, but never once gave a thought to what his personal quarters might look like.  
  
The carpet was littered with old jeans and oil-stained shirts. The large bed was unmade and the bathroom looked like it could use a good cleaning. While the place was untidy, Ironhide didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe he had just noticed a trick of the light. But to make sure, he did one last sweep of the room with his scanners on for any type of life form. Something with a rapid heart beat triggered his sensors. So there was something in here after all. It was coming from the walk-in closet.  
  
Ironhide peered inside, illuminating collections of tools and old, dusty suit coats with a gentle blue light. From deep in the back, two round eyes glittered. Ironhide zoomed in on it, trying to figure out what it was. The creature seemed to blend in with the pile of shoes and tattered boxes. A very unfriendly growl resounded back at him and Ironhide frowned. He didn't like the sound of that at all. Maybe it was something dangerous and shouldn't be in his human friend's home.  
  
Unwilling to go in there himself until he could at least see how big the creature was, Ironhide retracted his hand, replacing it with the spout for his liquid nitrogen. It was a substance that could be deadly to organic creatures. Instead of spraying the actual chemical at the growling eyes, Ironhide shot a blast of cold air at it.

* * *

 

Carly was in the kitchen, making popcorn while Wheeljack plastered his face to the microwave window, watching with fascination as the bag filled with freshly popped kernels. Optimus wandered around her, covertly trying to sneak curious peeks into the cupboards near the floor. Carly pretended not to notice, but secretly she was amused.  
  
These giant robotic life forms had always seemed so much more venerable than she. But now they seemed like little kids. Not merely because of their size, but for that childlike curiosity they extruded when wandering around the house. Wheeljack, of course, was the worst. He was open and animatedly curious about everything, no matter his size. But it was amusing to see Optimus or Prowl look up to her for answers to their questions or assistance. She was loving this.  
  
The microwave dinged and Carly carefully removed the scalding package while Wheeljack waited eagerly to see what was inside. There was a thump from the back of the house that caught their attention.  
  
"What on Earth?" Carly wondered as they heard it again.  
  
Then Ironhide came stumbling out of the back bedroom, wrestling with something big and dark, something that hissed and spat at him as the red Autobot tried to tackle it to the floor. The creature seemed to have eyes like fire and it growled and screamed, slashing at him with claws. Ironhide knew he couldn't let such a monster near his human friends with their delicate skin. It would rip them to shreds.  
  
The creature tried to bite him, and when that didn't work, it tore out of Ironhide's grasp and down the hall. Ironhide instantly chased after it. In a blur of fur and wild eyes, the thing bounded around the living room, knocking over a lamp as the Autobot pursued it.

Carly came out of the kitchen, eyes wide at the chaos before her. "Fraggit!" she barked.  
  
Wheeljack stared at her. Even Ironhide stumbled at the profanity coming out of her mouth. They never thought they'd hear such back-alley filth from her.  
  
There was another furious sound of growls and scrambling as Optimus appeared from behind the couch, the angry creature in his clutches.  
  
"Fraggit, you stupid cat," Carly huffed at the spitting, biting ball of brown and black fur.  
  
The cat clawed and bit ineffectually at Prime's metal hands, but the Autobot leader would not let go. "What should I do with this?" he asked calmly.  
  
Even Prowl and Jazz had now poked their heads out of the other bedroom to see what was going on.  
  
Carly opened the sliding glass door to the backyard. "Put him outside where he can't do any more damage."  
  
Optimus walked out onto the back port, keeping the angry cat at arms length. It scrambled out of his hold and skittered a few steps before turning to hiss at the Autobot leader with ears pinned back. Then it skulked off into the bushes.  
  
"I'm sorry if we put any undue stress on Sparkplug's... pet?"  
  
Carly shook her head as she closed the door. "No, that's how he is. That cat is the devil incarnate. Fraggit hates every other person on the planet but my father-in-law."  
  
" _That's_ what you named it?" Ironhide complained. "Carly, that's awful."  
  
She grinned. "Daniel named it actually, when he was little. He said Ratchet kept saying it all the time. He thought it was a good name for a cat that people always yell at."  
  
Wheeljack was laughing while Optimus said, "I'm going to have to have a talk with him about his language."  
  
"Oh don't do that, it's funny," Carly insisted. "I don't know why you think it's so bad. It hardly means anything in our language."  
  
Ironhide just looked at all the new scratches on his arm and the bits of fur now sticking out of his finger joints. He was so ready to be his normal size again.

* * *

 

 

Ratchet dug into the back of Sideswipe's processor while the red Autobot sat there like a chastised dog receiving an unwanted bath.  
  
"Almost done," the CMO told him.  
  
"Why are you doing this to me?" Sideswipe whined. "I feel like only half a mech now."  
  
"You abuse your language adapter, you get it taken away," came the terse response. "It's there for a purpose and that purpose isn't to annoy your fellow Autobots into thoughts of murder. You work hard to make up for the whole New York catastrophe and show you can be more responsible, then we'll see about reinstalling it." Primus, Ratchet thought he sounded like Spike when Daniel was younger.  
  
"Okay," Sideswipe said softly, properly chastised.  
  
Ratchet closed up the back of his helmet. "Done. Now, you're on full Dinobot duty until Grimlock is returned to his normal size. Keep them, and yourself, out of trouble. I mean it. If the lot of you so much as stir up a cloud of dust I don't like, not only will you never see your adapter again, but I'll have your empty frame to hang on my wall. You understand me?"  
  
Sideswipe gave a heavy vent of air. He knew he was being justly punished and he should play the part of contrition. "Yes, sir. May I go visit Sunstreaker before reporting for Dinobot duty?"  
  
"If you can stand him," Ratchet huffed. Sunstreaker had been far more unpleasant than usual in his current state. Not that the CMO could blame him. Being totaled and stuck in vehicle mode was not fun for anyone.  
  
"Thanks, Doc," Sideswipe said brightly as he hopped off the table. "I'll try to cheer him up for you."  
  
Ratchet nodded as he left, but then caught himself when he realized that Sideswipe's visit would most likely just rile the yellow twin up more.  
  
"Don't do me any favors!" the medic called down the hall. But Sideswipe was already gone.

* * *

 

 

Later that afternoon, Crystal stumbled out the backdoor. Carly announced she would start dinner soon while the redhead trundled onto the patio, a comb in her hand. Her hair was still damp from being trapped in a towel all day, plus it was so long. She needed to cut it. The warm summer sun felt good as she eased herself into a lawn chair.  
  
When Optimus stepped out into the yard, he found Jazz had taken over brushing duty. The second was standing behind the lawn chair, running a comb meticulously through the rust-colored locks. The hair was so long, some if it was dragging on the cement, but Crystal seemed still too fatigued to care. She slumped in her chair, eyes closed toward the sunshine, the very picture of someone who didn't have anything else left to give.

Fraggit skulked in the yard. He took one look at Optimus and hurried off, growling in his throat. Sparkplug should have named the thing Ravage for how much he liked Autobots.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" Optimus asked as he stood next to the human.  
  
Crystal turned her head slightly, squinting in the setting sunlight. She made an ungainly attempt to land her palm on the leader's head. It took her three tries and Optimus moving a step closer before she succeeded.  
  
"About the same, but I'll be fine in a day or two, don't worry." She sloppily patted his head.  
  
"What will you do now?"  
  
She closed her eyes as if feeling a headache coming on. Her body was still too sick and sore, her mind too exhausted to think about such things. "I don't think I'm going back to New York. But I... I don't know, ask me tomorrow."  
  
"I probably won't be able to," Optimus answered. "I received a call. We're returning to our base tonight."  
  
Crystal sat up a bit, blinking in surprise and looking more awake.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Jazz asked with a grin. "They got it figured out?"  
  
"Ratchet says he's got something put together based on Perceptor's specs. He wants Wheeljack to look it over first, but he believes it should work."  
  
"Right on, Ratchet! Can't wait to get back to my own size again,” Jazz cheered.  
  
Crystal leaned forward, pulling her hair out of his hand. "What... what time are you leaving?"  
  
"One of the Autobots is coming to pick us up. We will go when he arrives,” Optimus said.

"Oh..." Crystal got a far away look in her eyes. She suddenly stood and seemed almost blind to Optimus' presence. She nearly ran into him as she stumbled back into the house.  
  
Jazz and Optimus looked at each other.  
  
"Was that an odd reaction to you?" Jazz asked.  
  
"Perhaps she still isn't feeling well."  
  
Without any other reason to remain in the yard, the two bots went back inside.  
  
Crystal was in the bathroom, twisting up her hair into a bun. As she walked out, she found Prowl standing in the hall and sank down on her knees to be at his level. This was not something she usually did. Most of the time she would just look down at them, smiling like their very existence amused her.  
  
"I hear you guys are leaving in a while," she said softly.  
  
"Affirmative," Prowl confirmed in a professional tone. "We should be gone before dark."  
  
Crystal smiled at him, but it wasn't genuine. There was a melancholy to her expression.  
  
"You gonna miss us, Crys?" Jazz asked as he approached.  
  
She leaned against the wall, knees pulled up. She wanted to hug them, hug all of them; gather up the whole brood like a mother hen and just keep them in her arms. Instead, she did not touch them at all.  
  
"Not the craziness, but perhaps the company," she admitted.  
  
Jazz leaned against her calf. "I'll come visit you when you're feeling better, how's that sound?"  
  
Crystal had the urge to say that it wouldn't be the same anymore, but she kept silent and just smiled.  
  
For the next forty-five minutes, she spent her time searching out the various Autobots and interacting with them. Carly noticed this and realized this was Crystal's way of saying good-bye to a certain point in her life that would never happen again. The girl was cheerful and optimistic about it, even encouraging about the bots going home and getting back to their own lives. But it was all a facade.

Crystal was playing with Grimlock when a car horn beeped from outside. She immediately clutched the Dinobot to her like a mother unwilling to get her child go to summer camp for the first time. She stared at the door with wide-eyed trepidation.  
  
"Your ride's here," Carly called. "I see Bumblebee out front."  
  
"That's our cue to skadoo," Jazz sang, eagerness in his voice.  
  
They all seemed eager, wasting no time moving to the front door. Carly tried to open it for them, but Ironhide swatted her away. He could open his own door just fine, thank you very much.  
  
Crystal lingered behind, looking unsure what to do. Her mouth opened now and again to say something, but nothing would come out. Carly was already herding them out the door, happy for them that they would be normal again soon. Crystal lurched forward as if to join her, but held back again. She didn't know what else to say to them and they didn't seem too interested in spending further time on her. She didn't blame them, considering their circumstances. They were probably dying for home and she could relate. She didn't know why she was expecting something more.  
  
"Good luck, guys," Carly called, waving after them as the group of Autobots climbed into Bumblebee's interior.  
  
Prowl was the last one up. He glanced back to see only Carly at the door. He supposed Crystal still wasn't feeling well and sat himself down. Bumblebee pulled out, aiming for the freeway without further ceremony.  
  
Carly closed the door and saw Crystal standing in the hall. "Dinner should be ready in maybe twenty minutes. Sparkplug says he'll be home to join us by then."  
  
"I... I'm not hungry," Crystal said in a small voice.  
  
"Oh, yes you are," Carly insisted in a motherly tone. "You've had, what, two meals in the past three days? You will be hungry by the time you sit at the table."  
  
"Yes ma'am," she conceded. "I'm going to go lay down until it's ready."  
  
She padded off to her room, closing the door behind her. Crystal waded through the piles of bags and crawled onto the bed. The emotions swimming in her chest confused her. This is what she wanted, wasn't it? She set out on this journey to get them home and then they would return to their normal lives. This had always been the plan. So why did it hurt?  
  
Crystal didn't expect this reaction at all. She thought she would feel a sense of accomplishment for doing the right thing. Instead, she felt empty and at a loss. She caped the blanket around her, knees pressed to her chest. Why did she feel this way? What was wrong with her? This was good. Her friends received the help they needed, it was all thanks to her. Yet, her chest hurt and she couldn't hold back any more. Silently, she cried.

 

 

 


	9. Epilogue: The Days After

**Small Problems**

**Epilogue: The Days After**

 

Crystal stayed with Sparkplug as she regained her health and plotted out her next course of action. She liked him. He was gruff, but still had a caring, fatherly way about him. He reminded her of her own father who had also been rough around the edges but soft on the inside.

While staying with him, Crystal learned a bit more about Sparkplug and his family’s history with the Autobots. He and his son had met them some twenty odd years ago. Now, his son was married and had a son of his own. To his family, the Autobots were a staple part of every day life, practically family themselves.

Crystal tried to put herself in their shoes, tried to imagine what it would be like to live the extraordinary every day. It felt exhausting and she discovered new admiration for the Witwicky family to adapt so well. Despite her initial feelings when the Autobots left her, she decided it was best that she move on and continue with her ordinary life. However, it seemed some of the Autobots themselves had other plans.

* * *

 

 

"Hey Crystal," Sparkplug called to her, "there's someone out front for you."

Crystal looked up from her employment ads, several items circled in the pages spread out before her knees. Her heart began to beat fast of its own accord. No, she wanted her life to be normal again, didn't she?

And yet, she was scrambling to the window to glance outside. A silver Porsche was parked outside, looking very out of place next to her own car. Despite appearing as an everyday machine at first glance, there was something different about it, something that made you take a second look and wonder if you could trust your senses.

Crystal dashed from the house, hopping on one foot as she slipped on her shoes. She threw herself on the white four decorating the hood of the car. The metal was warm from the summer sun, but also as if warmed by the body's heat within.

"My favorite number," she cooed. "Look how big and beautiful you are!"

Jazz chuckled. "Yup! Everyone's back to normal. Get in here so I can take a good look at you."

He opened his driver side door and Crystal happily sat inside.

"Ooh, very nice interior, Jazz," she praised as she rand her hand over the dash board.

"Thanks! You look like you're doing okay yourself."

Crystal touched the bandage decorating her forehead. "Yeah, I'm still picking glass out of it and I have to keep my hand bandaged for another couple of weeks. But I'm feeling better."

"I'm sorry you got hurt," Jazz said in a sober tone.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're all safe." She hugged the steering wheel and then made a sad noise. "I can't fit my arms around you any more."

“Just more of me to love, babe. I do have some good news. Sunstreaker's all repaired and looking good as new.”

Crystal looked a bit confused, searching her memory for that name. Nothing came up, but she smiled anyway. "I'm glad to hear it."

Jazz paused. "You wouldn't want to go for a ride with me, would you?"

Crystal's eyes widened. "Really? Do you want me to get in the passenger seat?"

"Nope. You're fine. Just buckle up and hold on."

Crystal poked her head out of the window. "Mr. Witwicky, Jazz is going to take me for a drive. I'll be back later."

"That's fine. Enjoy yourselves," Sparkplug nodded as he waved them off.

Crystal watched in fascination as the pedals and steering wheel moved all by themselves, as if a phantom were sharing her seat. "This is so weird.” She put hands on the steering wheel but allowed it to turn by itself. It took a bit of willpower not to push the pedals. "It's hard to get used to. I feel like I want to take control."

"You did fine last time with Sunstreaker," Jazz chuckled. "But then again, you weren't in the driver's seat."

That name again...

"Actually, I don't remember any of it," Crystal admitted.

"Really? Still? Will you ever?

"Gone forever, says the doctor. Most of the day is just wiped out. I remember a bit of leaving the hotel and driving. But then it jumps to the hospital. Everything else is just... not there. Like I slept through it.”

"That's a bummer, Crys. I'm sorry."

"I don't know." She looked out the window, watching the buildings pass by as Jazz turned onto the freeway. "I don't feel like they were memories I would want to keep anyway. I'm just glad the worst part is over."

Jazz suddenly swerved and Crystal grabbed for the wheel.

"Ha ha! Made you flinch!"

"Jazz!" Crystal barked, kicking at the car where ever she dared.

"Hey! Hey! I'm driving! Don't distract me!"

"Then don't scare me like that!" Crystal paused when she noticed they were heading out of the city. "Hey, where are we going?"

Ahead, there were miles of open space and Mount Saint Hilary in the distance.

"Going to my home base so you can see how the other half lives."

Crystal stiffened as she watching the volcano get closer. "Are we going inside?"

"Well, yeah. If you want to."

Crystal bit her lip. "I'm not very comfortable with going inside. Is that... okay?"

Jazz chuckled. "Lady, anything you want is okay by me."

Crystal gave him a thankful smile. Then frowned when she saw Jazz hadn't changed his course. Mount Saint Hilary was coming up fast.

"Umm..."

"Don't worry Crys, we're not going to get too close to it, I promise."

He stopped on a rise where the Ark's rear thrusters could be seen poking out of the side of the dormant volcano. From the entrance, a black and while police car drove out to meet them. Crystal stepped out as it parked beside Jazz. She ran her hand over the top of the car and then bent to look in through the driver side window. "Hi, Prowl."

"Hello. How are you feeling?"

Crystal smiled. She couldn't count how often the police car had asked her that. "I'm doing very well. How about yourself?"

"Running at 98% efficiency. Thank you." He rolled down his window. "I brought someone with me."

Crystal peered inside and found a red and gray boombox. "Blaster!" She pulled him out through the window. "Are you all fixed now?"

"You bet, babe!" The radio crowed happily. "Check this out!"

Blaster jumped out of her hands. Crystal let out a squawk of surprise as the small device folded apart and grew in size before her eyes. His robot mode was far larger than she would have ever imagined from something that size. She stumbled back from the towering behemoth, tripping and landing none too gently against Jazz's side.

"Crys, you okay?" The Porsche transformed into his robot mode and Crystal scrambled away from Jazz as well.

"Careful you two," Prowl ordered. He had also transformed and stretched his arm to hold the others back.

Crystal sat on the ground, wide eyed and clutching at her chest.

"Give me a mini heart attack!" she accused. "I'm not used to this size. A little warning next time would be nice!"

"Sorry," Jazz said, though he was grinning. He carefully sat himself down cross-legged and stretched out his hand, waiting for the human to come to him.

Though hesitant, Crystal got to her feet and slowly made her way over. Jazz now understood why she didn't want to step foot inside the Ark. He would never have guessed it of her, but she seemed truly intimidated by their size. And why wouldn't she be? They had been around the Witwicky family so long, Jazz had forgotten how frightened the humans had been the first time they met. Not to mention Crystal's various run-ins with the full-sized Decepticons probably didn't help.

She stared as she put her hands on Jazz's finger. The size difference was staggering. She knew they were going to be big, but nothing could have prepared her for the real thing. They now felt like they truly were: a world far different from hers.

"You guys are huge," she said stupidly.

"But harmless," Jazz insisted. "Come on Crys, you know it's still us."

She leaned in closer and lowered her voice to more of a whisper. "Jazz, why is Blaster taller than you? He turns into a radio."

Jazz frowned. "Because life's not fair."

"Believe it babe," Blaster said. "All this awesome can fit in a convenient little package." He transformed back into radio mode and fell neatly into her arms. "You can still hug me."

To which she did and then pulled back sadly. "It's not the same. I wish you stayed the same size when you turned into a robot."

"So sorry," was Blaster's sarcastic response. "I'll speak to my creator about that right away."

"Prime apologizes for not being able to meet you," Prowl said, going down on one knee to be closer to her level. "He and the others had responsibilities to attend."

"That's fine. I'm sure you guys have more important things to do now. I wouldn't want to keep any of you."  
  
"You are important," Prowl stated.  
  
Crystal blinked at him in surprise.  
  
"You were there when we needed you. You did something for us we could not do ourselves and you put your life on the line for us. That makes you very important, even now."  
  
A modest blush spread along her cheeks at Prowl's words. "I just did what I could to help."

"And we are very grateful for that."  
  
"You're embarrassing her Prowl," Blaster's radio form said with glee in his voice. "Look how red she is."  
  
Crystal scowled at him and set him down. To Blaster's credit, he stayed in radio mode out of consideration for her.  
  
"I'm sorry," Prowl said, "that wasn't my intention."  
  
Jazz was grinning at her, which didn't help.  
  
"It's fine." Crystal huffed out a deep breath to get herself in order. The flush began to subside from her face, but she still wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. "We all made it out alive, that's what matters."  
  
"Yes," Prowl agreed. "And I'm afraid to cut this short, but I have other duties that need my attention."  
  
Surprised he was leaving so soon, Crystal took a step or two after him as he transformed into his car mode. "Prowl."  
  
"Yes?" he asked expectantly.  
  
She paused, not knowing what to say. She wanted to be with him longer, but she knew he had responsibilities elsewhere. She had to let him go. "Uh, here, take Blaster with you." She picked up the radio and placed him in the front seat. From her glance at Prowl's interior, she thought about when she hugged Jazz's steering wheel earlier. It was the only way she could hug him now.

"It was good to see you guys again," she said softly.  
  
"Ditto, babe!" Blaster responded.  
  
"Take care of yourself," Prowl said before driving back toward the Ark.  
  
Crystal watched him go all the way to the entrance. As he drove in, a large robotic T-rex stalked out. He seemed to sniff the air and turned his massive head in her direction. Crystal couldn't believe how big he was. She was instantly glad he was nowhere near her. Still, she could not forget the little lizard that would often cuddle next to her and she gave him a small wave. Grimlock just watched her, the tip of his tail swaying. Then he turned and lumbered off. Crystal lowered her hand in disappointment.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about him, Crys," Jazz said. "That's just the way he is. Grimlock's never been too friendly when he's his own size. Don't take it personal."  
  
"It's fine," she said. "I'd be too afraid he'd accidentally kill me. Someone that size is probably best left alone."  
  
"What about me?" Jazz then asked. "Am I too big? Would you rather I leave you alone?"  
  
Despite his intimidating size, she instantly moved to press her cheek against the warm metal of his shin. "Aw, Jazz. Never. I will always like you no matter what your size. I would be sad if I never saw you again."  
  
"I'm glad to hear it." He touched her gently with one finger. "I'd be sad if I never saw you again either."  
  
Crystal smiled in mutual affection, cheek still pressed against him.  
  
"So what say I take you back now, Crys? Seems you've had enough excitement for today."  
  
Crystal barked out a laugh, genuine and easy. "With you guys, every day is exciting."

* * *

 

 

Later that day, Prowl walked into Optimus Prime's office, data pad in hand.

"Here's the report of the damages the Dinobots inflicted in New York," Prowl said as he handed it to his leader. "Ratchet's repair crew reduced the costs considerably. Here is what's left."

Optimus glanced over the numbers. "Good, Prowl. This amount shouldn't be a problem. Thank you."

Prowl nodded and turned to leave.

The small room Optimus used as an office was hardly more than a utility closet. It had been refurnished after the Autobots decided their crashed spaceship was good enough to serve as a base of operations. The room was modest and hardly befitted one of Optimus' status, but he insisted it more than suited his needs.

The place had also stayed fairly plain over the years, so upon leaving, Prowl instantly noticed something different. Silver chimes hung on the wall. Prowl recognized them as the ones from Crystal's car, only so much larger.

Optimus must have had them on him when he was returned to his normal size. The chimes would never fit on a rear view mirror now. It was big enough to clearly read the inscription on the ornate piece of metal that served as the base.

Prowl turned to Optimus. "Why did you take that?"

Unphased by the blatant question, Optimus wandered over to look at it, hands clasped behind his back. "It means something to me," he said simply. "I didn't mean to keep it, but I'm afraid I can't give it back now."

Prowl looked at the inscription for a while.

"I'm sure she will forgive you," he said and then left the room.

* * *

 

 

A week and a half later, Crystal hefted two full bags up the stairs to her new apartment. She liked it. The neighborhood seemed nice and it was close to the firm where she had been hired as a secretary.

The apartment was bare and unfurnished, but Crystal didn't care. It was a place she could call home. She dropped to the ground and curled up on the carpet, sighing heavily as she stared at the plain white wall. The apartment was quite small, but at that moment it felt big and impossibly quiet.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading my little fic of fluff and smol Autobots. There is still one bonus chapter to come before the end. Please keep a look out. We're not done yet!


	10. Bonus Chapter: Extra Small Problems

**Bonus Chapter: Extra Small Problems**

 

“Meatbag! Rise!” an obtrusive, gravelly voice announced, jarring Crystal from slumber.

She jerked awake, blanket still hooded over her head as she blinked at the source of the noise.

“Your recharge time is over! Get up! Now!”

It was still dark in her room. Weak morning light seeped in from between the blind slats, illuminating the gray metal of her unwanted guest in a blue hue. His red, displeased optics cut through the haze of sleep in her vision.

Crystal glanced at the clock with a moan. “It is freaking 5 AM. What do you want?”

The gray robot growled at her, gesturing with the heavy cannon attached to his arm. “You forget your place too quickly, fleshling. Megatron asks the questions, he does not answer them.”

Crystal dropped her face into the pillow with a groan. How could she forget last night's events? This small, demanding robot with a proclivity for speaking in the third person certainly wasn't something that was easily forgotten. No matter how much she wanted to.

* * *

 

 

**The Previous Night**

 

Crystal stepped off the bus, bone tired as she walked toward her apartment complex. She had stayed at the gym later than she meant to and was now exhausted. The fight coming up that weekend made her nervous. She had to make some cash from that night or she would never get her car out of the mechanic's.

The gym bag at her shoulder felt twice as heavy as she trudged toward her building. No one else seemed to be around, which was typical for a weekday night. Night-shifters were already at work, while those who worked days like Crystal were prudent enough to be in bed by now.

As she neared the stairs to take her to her second floor apartment, Crystal could see nothing else before her but a hot shower and her inviting bed. She didn't notice the glowing red eyes, or the small beings pop out of the shadows. Not until that annoying, gravelly voice called out to her as her sneaker touched the first step.

“Halt, human! Surrender now!”

She paused and looked back, finding herself surrounded by a handful of small robots, barely taller than her knee. They all pointed gun-like weapons at her.

“Excuse me?” she asked, as if requesting for the whole bizarre situation to present itself again for clarification.

“How dare you speak back to our lord Megatron!” screeched a red robot with wings in a high voice. “You will show the proper respect to your betters, Earth germ!”

The gray robot pushed the red one back. “No one need speak for Megatron, Starscream!” He then looked up at Crystal. “Take us inside your dwelling or we will take your life.”

Crystal glanced at the group again. Along with the gray one, there stood a dark blue robot with a white face mask; then red one with two others that looked just like him, but painted in different colors. They all looked serious. All of them were armed.

“Okay...” happened to fall out of her mouth as she took the next stair. At the back of her mind, she mildly wondered if the weapons even worked. This had to be a joke, right? This couldn't be real. Maybe this was all part of a prank. Her incredulity at the situation led her on automatic right up to her door, keys already in hand. It lingered at the lock as she looked back again. Yes, they were all still there, sternly waiting to gain access to her world.

“What exactly do you guys want? Are you robbing me?”

“Just open the door, flesh creature,” said the red robot in a high voice. His little, white wings flickered as he jabbed the point of his weapon into the back of her knee.

It definitely wasn't fear, but maybe morbid curiosity as to why Crystal finally unlocked her apartment and stepped inside. After a workout like today, she was feeling pretty confident of her physical prowess. She could take out these little robots if she had to. It would be like fighting a pack of kindergartners.

The robots trooped in, weapons still out. Some were pointed at her, others had theirs drawn on the surroundings, checking out the different areas of the apartment. The purple and black one kicked her door closed behind them while the light blue one stalked down the hall, investigating her bedroom and bathroom like a cop looking for hiding criminals.

“Now, your communication device,” the gray one ordered, hand opened up to her expectantly.

Crystal's first thought was her cell phone, but there was no way she was handing that over. “You need a telephone? There's one right here.” She directed them to her land line phone that sat on the kitchen counter and handed the cordless receiver to the leader of the group. “Are you trying to call your … parents, maybe?”

The gray robot's response was to promptly crush the receiver in his hand, plastic and wires clattering on the kitchen floor.

“Hey!” Crystal barked. “I didn't bring you in here so you could start breaking my stuff! Get out!”

The entire group of five robots now stood before her, all weapons pointed her way.

“Take care what you say to our mighty leader, Megatron, you filth,” the red bot hissed in that high voice. “We have terminated others for far less.”

Crystal moved her mouth up and down, but her brain could not form any words to respond to her situation.

“And now you are not able to contact the Autobots,” the one called Megatron added, “so do not think about doing anything foolish. We may even let you live if you cooperate.”

“Contact the Autobots?” Crystal repeated dumbly. Her mind scrambled for a foothold on this sudden bit of information. “What do you think, all humans just have them on speed dial? Wait. Are you guys... Decepticons?”

She was ignored.

“Decepticons, secure this area,” Megatron barked in answer to her question. “We will use it as our base of operations until we contact the others.”

Crystal plopped herself on the couch, still feeling a bit displaced from the situation. It felt as if reality and herself had decided to part ways. She now hung in this bizarre moment in time, stuck in surreal limbo.

“Report, Soundwave,” Megatron said as the two congregated in front of Crystal's couch. “Have you been able to contact the others?”

“Negative,” the one called Soundwave warbled back in a voice Crystal was not prepared for. “All radio waves are being monitored.”

“It's that stupid Blaster,” the purple one cut in with a bite in his voice. “We try to call for backup and the Autobots will surround this place in no time.”  
“Curse them!” Megatron hissed.

Crystal glanced at the wall clock, noting it was after 10:30. She needed to shower soon or she wouldn't make it to bed until well after 11.  
“So... do you need me to do anything or can I go? I really gotta shower and get ready for bed.” She wondered if they understood what either of those things meant.

Megatron eyeballed her, sizing her up, weighing her possible motives. “You are free to wander your dwelling, but you may not leave. Thundercracker will be your guard.” The light blue of the three identical winged robots stepped dutifully forward. “But beware, human, he has authorization to use deadly force if you are caught trying to flee or contact the Autobots.”

“I don't _know_ any Autobots!” Crystal huffed to herself as she got up and stalked down the hall.

As ordered, the little light blue Decepticon trailed her into the darkness. Crystal flipped on her bedroom light and dug around the bedroom for pjs and underwear, figuring it would probably be best just to remain in the locked bathroom to get dressed after her shower. She turned to find Thundercracker glancing about the bedroom curiously. He schooled his expression when he noticed the human watching him.

Crystal tossed him a slightly amused look before brushing past him across the hall and into the bathroom where she promptly closed the door in his face.

“Hey!” Thundercracker protested with the pounding of his small fist. “Open the door, human. You are to be monitored at all time.”  
Crystal opened the door and peered out. “I'm not showering with you in here.”  
“I will break your door if you don't allow me inside,” the robot informed her.

She sighed and opened the door all the way. “Look, there's no windows, nowhere for me to go. I just want to shower in privacy and then I'll be back out.”

The little Decepticon walked in, checking out every corner. He opened the cupboard under the sink, drew back the shower curtain, even peered into the toilet. When he was satisfied, he walked out with one last warning look in Crystal's direction and closed the door without a sound.

Once having locked herself away from prying robot optics, Crystal jumped in the shower, letting the water hammer in her current situation. What was she supposed to do about those things once she got out? Surprisingly, she found she didn't find it her utmost priority to get rid of them. Was she seriously considering allowing them to stay the night? Could she trust them in her apartment, around her stuff, without her supervision? It would just be so much easier to call the cops from her cell and have them removed.

But the underlying fact was that she was terribly curious about their presence. Even though they had threatened to harm her, they hadn't actually tried to hurt her in any way. They seemed far more concerned with having a safe place to hide than anything else. Even though they were quite rude, they were also small and in trouble, and Crystal was burning with curiosity to see what they would do next.

As such, she didn't dally long in the shower. After she turned the water off, she peered out to make sure she was still alone. The bathroom door remained locked; so far so good. She quickly dried and dressed herself, but it didn't seem to be fast enough.

Soon there was another insistent knock on the door followed by Thundercracker's voice, “Human, what are you doing in there? I heard the water turn off a while ago.”

Jeeze, can't a girl get a little bathroom time? “I'm almost done,” she called out. “I just have to finish getting dressed.” After slipping into a pair of shorts and wrapping up her long, wet hair in a towel, she emerged in a puff of steam. “Done,” she announced.

“Megatron wishes to speak to you,” Thundercracker informed her.

Crystal let out a loud breath through her mouth as she trudged up the hall. Dealing with these robots was more exhausting by the minute.  
“Yes, Your Highness?” she asked with slothful sarcasm.

The gray robot was currently standing before her sliding glass door, observing the city with hands on his hips, back to her. “Human, we require information as to our current location. Unfortunately, those wretched Autobots are monitoring for any attempt we make at establishing a GPS connection, so we are forced to resort to other means.”

Crystal scratched at her wet scalp under the towel and let out a yawn. “Well, I'm sure they have maps of the city at the local gas station. I can pick one up for you tomorrow.”

Megatron spun around, optics bright red. “You'll do it now,” he threatened.

“No, I'm not. I just got out of the shower and it's the middle of the night. I'm exhausted and if these Autobots are still hunting you, you'll be better off if you lay low for tonight and I'll get you the map tomorrow.”

Megatron watched her suspiciously, his arm cannon half raised. Then he lowered it completely. “I find this to be acceptable. You are relegated to your quarters until then.”

“Fine by me,” Crystal said with another yawn. “I will see you in the morning.”

She walked back to her bedroom, pausing to notice the blue seeker still seemed to be assigned to tail her. He stood dutifully in her doorway, watching her every move. She gave him a bit of a smirk and promptly shut the door in his face.

That was far too few hours ago. Now it was barely daylight outside and this Megatron saw to it himself that her slumber be rudely interrupted. Crystal groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her face to block out the noise.

“You _dare_ ignore me!” Megatron charged his arm cannon.

Soundwave placed a prudent hand on his shoulder. “If too much damage is caused, Autobots may come.”

Megatron lowered his weapon, powering it off with a frustrated growl. “Get that thing up and out of its recharge berth. We have work to do!”

With that, the Decepticon leader paraded out, leaving Soundwave alone with the snoozing human. For a moment, the dark blue bot assessed the situation and then pressed the release button on his chest compartment.

“Rumble, Frenzy: eject.” The door to his chest opened and two cassette tapes flew out, transforming into even smaller robots. Standing at the height of Soundwave's knee, they were only a few inches taller than a Barbie doll. “Operation: Human Intervention.”

“Huh?” Rumble asked stupidly.

“What'cha talking 'bout, Soundwave?” Frenzy demanded.

Soundwave silently pointed to the slumbering human nearly buried in her blankets.

“Aw, yeah,” Rumble grinned, cracking his knuckles.

“This will be our pleasure,” Frenzy added with satisfaction.

The two ran for the bed, climbing up with the human while Soundwave calmly left the room. The blue Decepticon strolled down the hall, the voice of one of his cassettes reaching his ears.

“Time to get up, meatbag.”

“Huh?” the human's voice sounded. “What the--”

There was a shrill screech followed by heavy, bodily thumps before Crystal stumbled out of the bedroom with a scream, both cassettes clinging to her person. She viciously slapped the little metal creatures away like they were vile vermin. Her blind dash of fear sent her tripping over her own feet and crashing into the living room where she skidded on the carpet. The stunned forms of Rumble and Frenzy were left behind in her wake as she checked herself to make sure there were no other creatures crawling around on her.  
  
Megatron stood before her. “Now, I trust you are ready to attend to the matters at hand.”  
  
Crystal stared at him, then at the dim light of barely-dawn outside and glowered. There would be no going back to sleep after a scare like that. She sighed as she got to her feet, inspecting the carpet burn on her knee. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed, then I'll go down to the gas station and get you a map.”  
  
“You'll go get it _now_ , flesh creature,” the Decepticon leader insisted.  
  
“Not without a bra,” Crystal shot back. “Listen, as a human, there are certain proper protocols I must do before leaving my... quarters and going out in public. Or else I will draw attention to myself. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to get you whatever you want.” With that, she turned and left, not waiting for Megatron's answer.

* * *

 

 

Crystal yawned heavily as she waited at an intersection for the light to change. Next to her, both Skywarp and Thundercracker had been sent to be her guards. She payed them no mind as another mighty yawn overtook her. This early, the roads weren't nearly as busy as they could be, but there were enough cars to keep the two tiny Decepticons on their toes.

“I don't like this at all,” Skywarp growled as he watched the cars pass. “Any one of these things could be an Autobot and we wouldn't even see them coming.”

“I could only be so lucky,” Crystal murmured. The walk sign lit up, signaling for them to cross. “Come on.” She stepped onto the crosswalk and the little robots hurried to keep up with her. Only a few paces in, Skywarp decided he didn't like the sound of one of the waiting cars as he walked by. He visibly prickled at it and pointed his tiny blaster. “I said come on,” Crystal demanded, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the other side. “You can't just stand in the middle of the road. Those cars will run you over.”

“Human machines are every bit as diabolical as Autobots,” Skywarp said in awe. He watched with wide optics as the light changed again and the cars sped off with roaring engines.

“Or something like that,” Crystal mumbled. She opened the heavy door to the gas station and let the two Decepticons in first. Part of her had half a mind to shut the door on them and run off, but the other Decepticons were still at her apartment. Even if she could outrun the lot of them, they all knew where she lived. In order to get rid of them for good, she would have to get them what they wanted and send them on their way.

Once inside the gas station, Crystal immediately set about getting herself some coffee.

“Human, that is not a map,” Thundercracker informed her.

“This is my fuel. I need it to keep functioning. We'll get a map here, too. Don't worry.”

With map and coffee in hand, the group exited the gas station and started their trek back to the apartment. Thundercracker seemed more at ease with crossing the street the second time around while Skywarp was just as high-strung and paranoid as before. When they made it to the opposite side, a car raced tight around the corner very close to them.

“Oh no! An Autobot!” Crystal cried.

Skywarp let out a scream and stumbled back, completely forgetting his weapon at the sight of the massive vehicle. Crystal chuckled at him as the car drove away, the driver completely unaware. Even Thundercracker smirked a little.

“You fraggin' meat sack!” Skywarp screamed at her. “I'll kill you for that!”

“I was just teasing you, you're not hurt.”

“But you'll be.” Skywarp shot her in the arm with his tiny weapon.

“Ow! You little shit!” The exposed flesh of her bare arm sizzled upon contact with a sharp burning pain.

“That's what you get for messing with a Decep--”

Crystal kicked him to the ground, yanking the weapon off Skywarp's arm as she planted a foot on his chest. “Don't think for a second that I can't take you out right now. Both of you!” she snapped at Thundercracker, who was now aiming his own weapon at her. She looked back down at Skywarp. “I could snap those little wings right off.” She leaned more of her weight onto him and he felt the glass of his cockpit crack.

“But I won't,” Crystal then said as she eased off of him. “Because there's something so disgusting about gleefully overpowering something so much smaller than you. Do you understand what I'm saying, Decepticon?”

Thundercracker lowered his weapon.

Skywarp's wide, red optics eventually narrowed into slits. “Yes.”

“Good.” Crystal let him go and continued up toward the apartment complex, leaving the two Decepticons to catch up.

* * *

 

 

Inside, the Decepticons poured over their new map while Crystal retreated to the bathroom to medicate her burn. By the time she returned, she was very over her new house guests and regretting she didn't just lock them out and call the cops the moment she met them. Currently, Starscream and Megatron were squabbling over the map, Soundwave standing with them. Skywarp was stationed at the main door, Thundercracker at the glass door leading to the balcony.

Crystal plopped down among the three in the middle of the floor, watching them interact with each other.

“Human maps are so primitive,” Starscream complained. “How do they expect to find anything with a representation of their topography that's so... flat. Don't they have holo-maps here?” He jabbed a finger to a section of land outside the city. “There. That should be where the Stunticons are stationed.”

Megatron frowned at it. “Soundwave?”

The dark blue Decepticon pointed at a location slightly higher than Starscream's indicated spot.

“I was close enough,” Starscream insisted.

Crystal smiled in amusement. “That one doesn't say much, does he?”

“Not to you!” Starscream hissed.

Crystal grinned wider. The red was one so prickly, he was nearly comical.

“Human, you will take us to this place here.” Megatron pointed to the indicated spot on the map “Fifteen klicks outside the city where we have backup troops waiting for us.”

Crystal slowly sipped her coffee.

“Human!”

“I don't have any mode of transportation. How do you expect me to get you there?” She motioned to the three seekers. “Don't these guys turn into tiny planes? Send them out. I have to go to work.”

Megatron raised his cannon to her. “You will not go anywhere if I do not say so.”

For the first time, his weapon concerned her. It was much bigger than the one she was shot with earlier. This one could do serious damage to her, but she tired not to look intimidated. She needed to keep her cool.

“If I don't show up when I'm supposed to, people will get suspicious.” She paused and added. “They'll tell the Autobots something's up.”

Starscream's optics went wide at the mention of their enemies. Megatron seemed a bit more of a harder sell. He eyed her carefully.

That, of course, was a bold-faced lie. Crystal didn't know a single Autobot, had never met one before in her life. Most people hadn't, especially on this side of the country. But these Decepticons, who seemed overly paranoid about humans communicating with their enemies, didn't know that.

“You can't hide here forever,” she pressed. “I know you guys can do it. I believe in you.” She gave him her most encouraging grin.

Megatron looked even more confused and angry at the response, but found he could not argue with that logic. He lowered his cannon.

“The human is trying to trick us some how,” Starscream said with a glare. “I can smell its treachery.”

“And you would know what treachery smells like, Starscream.”

“Shut it, Skywarp!”

Crystal tried hard to keep her expression neutral. “The red one sounds scared. He doesn't believe in you, but I do.”

“WHAT?!” came the shrill response.

“Starscream is always a coward, it is to be expected.”

“MEGATRON!”

Crystal tried harder as she took the map and looked it over. “I can get you closer to this location if you want to come with me as far as my work address. Then I can steer you in the right direction from there. That's the best I can do while still keeping you guys on the down-low.”

The Decepticon leader ruminated on this idea for a moment. “Fine. I suppose it will have to be an acceptable plan.”

She grinned at him. “How about a thanks for the help?”

Megatron looked at her as if what she was expecting was complete lunacy.

* * *

 

 

Speaking of lunacy, Crystal was questioning her own sanity and grasp of reality as she and a smattering of tiny Decepticons waiting at the nearest bus stop. They were quite a sight to the random passer-by. Crystal, dressed completely professional in a black pencil skirt and heels, and the gaggle of Decepticons fidgeting around her. They seemed to feel as out of place as they looked and Crystal felt the need to urge them to be cool several times.

When the bus finally appeared up the street, all Decepticons froze, optics trained on it as it rolled and rumbled their way. They tensed more and more as the massive vehicle pulled up to the curb before them and stopped with a hiss. The doors opened with a high screech of metal and several weapons were instantly out, trained on the open doorway.

Crystal did not give them any time to use them as she bodily herded them all in and up the metal stairs. The Decepticons stared in wonder at the world contained inside. They had never been inside an Earth vehicle before. Why were the seats so soft? Why did these flesh bodies need padding everywhere? Their human companion paid for passage for every one of them with a frown before guiding them to the long bench at the back of the bus.

An older man in tattered clothes was already sitting there in one corner. Crystal gave him a tight, polite smile before she sat down. The robots with her climbed into the seat, taking up the rest of the space. Thundercracker was the last one and there was no room left for him. The bus hadn't moved yet. The driver probably thought they were all children and was waiting for them to be seated. Crystal picked up the light blue seeker and placed him in her lap so the bus could continue on.

As they drove away from her neighborhood, Crystal let out a heavy sigh. So close. Once they reached their destination, she could point them in the direction they wanted to go and they would be out of her hair for good. As a bit of fatigue washed over her, she pulled the seeker in her lap closer, resting her chin on the top of his head. Thundercracker stiffened at the contact, optics darting to Skywarp for some cue on how to react. The purple seeker just shrugged at him, so Thundercracker remained still until the ride was over.

* * *

 

 

“Alright, kiddos, you're almost there,” Crystal said, holding one side of the map with one hand while Megatron held the other. “So you want to take this road which is right here,” she pointed to the road on the map and then the same road before them, “and then hit the freeway going East. That should put you about where your buddies are.”

Megatron thoughtfully gazed in the direction she pointed while Crystal waited, foot tapping with a bit of impatience. They were actually one bus stop away from her work because there was no way in hell she was going to show up in front of the law office where she worked as a secretary with a kindergarten of small robots. Child-sized beings that could actually shoot someone with real weapons if they had a mind to. She wasn't about to put her job in jeopardy for that. But she was quickly running out of the extra time she needed to walk the few more blocks to her building.

“What if this one is lying to us?” Starscream said to his leader. “We can't trust it. We should take it as a hostage just in case.”

“Just in case of what?” Crystal demanded. “Why would I want to steer you in the wrong direction? If you can't get to your friends, you'll just come back to bother me. Neither of us want that.” She paused and changed gears. “I see. You're scared you can't do this on your own.”

“Megatron fears nothing, human! Especially not this tattered excuse for a meatbag metropolis!”

She grinned, satisfied her plan was working. “Good. I knew you guys were better than that. I wish you good luck. Not that you'll need it.” She gave them a wink and finger guns, then quickly walked away before they could say anything else to her.

It was several yards of quick walking before she dared look back. A glance behind and she caught the tail end of the Decepticons taking her advice and beginning on their own path. With a breath of relief, Crystal continued her brisk walk toward work. Her life could finally go back to normal again.

* * *

 

 

As much as she was glad the robots were out of her life, Crystal found herself thinking about them often as she tried to carry on her daily duties at work. The Decepticons were bossy and unpleasant, yes, but they were also very small in a very big city. Was she a bad person to send them off on their own? Should she have kept them at her place until she could get her car out of the shop? But they were Decepticons. People had died before because of them. She should have called them police on them when she had a chance. She supposed she still could. Although, she was quite sure no one would believe that phone call, especially when the robotic evidence had already wandered far away from here by now.

_Tap. Tap._

Crystal's eyes flew open wide as she glanced toward the sound. The office was five stories up, yet there was a small form at the nearby window. A very familiar robotic form.

“Crystal.”

She quickly glanced back, trying to school her expression as one of the named partners of the firm approached her. “I have a pile of forms that need to be faxed to the courthouse before lunch.”

Crystal patted her desk, both to look normal and to keep his attention on her. “Just put them here. I'll do that right now.”

“Thanks. There will probably be a couple more. I'll get them to you when I can.”

“No problem.” She waited stiffly until he had wandered off down the hall and then turned back to the window with a wide-eyed incredulous look. Now, all three seekers were at the window, peering inside and trying to get her attention. With a quick glance around for any witnesses, Crystal scooted over and slid the window open just wide enough to communicate.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded between clenched teeth.

“There's Autobots! Everywhere!” Skywarp squawked.

“They found us while we tried to leave the city,” Starscream said with a growl.

“How did you find _me_?” Crystal demanded.

“Soundwave put a tracer on you while you were in recharge.”

“What? _Where?_ ”

“Look, it doesn't matter. The Autobots are onto us and we need a place to hide.”

Skywarp tried to squeeze through the window and Crystal immediately shoved him back out. “Oh, you are _not_ coming in here! This firm has a very non-Decepticon reputation and I need to keep this job.” She glanced at her watch; still an hour before noon. “Meet me downstairs. Do NOT try to come into the lobby. If security sees you, they'll call the Autobots for sure.”

“We will expect you down there immediately,” Starscream threatened. “Don't make us come back for you.”

Crystal fought the urge to strangle his little robot neck right then and there. Instead, she slammed the window shut and hurried off to the elevator. This was quickly turning into a nightmare. Wasn't she just wishing she had helped them more? How stupid could she be. She had a full-time job with amazing benefits and these little metal monsters could make her loose it all so fast if they wanted to. She had to figure out something that would get these guys out of her hair and let her get back to work. And she had to think of it fast.

Almost to the ground floor, the entire building shuttered and she braced herself against the wall of the elevator. Crap, that wasn't good. What was going on out there? Another boom shook the building as she arrived at the ground floor and ran across the lobby. Nearly the entire front of was made glass doors and windows. She saw the dark gray Ferrari with red windows a mere few seconds before it flew through all the glass and flimsy frames, tires hardly touching the ground.

The vehicle missed her by inches as Crystal was splattered by shattered glass. As it flew into the lobby, the car transformed into a very large robot with a hateful look on its face and the purple Decepticon insignia on its chest. Wildrider changed into root mode long enough to stop himself and reverse direction. With a vicious growl, he was back in car mode and racing out of the building. Crystal scrambled out of the way as the car aimed right for her. She ran out of the building, dodging to the side as the Decepticon nearly clipped her.

Outside, the car ran nose-first into another robot. This one was white with a blue visor instead of optics. On its chest it had a red Autobot insignia, as well as a large number four. Why did that look so familiar to her? The Autobot caught the Decepticon car, its wheels still screeching, and tossed it away, causing it to land on its hood. The Decepticon immediately transformed again and the two opened fire on each other. A stray shot hit the building and Crystal had to dodge out of the way again as loose bricks and debris fell above her.

The sound of sirens reached her ears and Crystal looked up in relief to see a police car racing toward the scene. She stepped toward it and stopped. There was no one driving that car. The police cruiser with the red Autobot symbol on the hood raced past her toward the battle.

It was then that she noticed that these weren't the only giant robots in the vicinity. There were Autobots and Decepticons everywhere; driving, fighting, shooting. Megatron was grappling with another Autobot, this one colored red and blue. Both of them were absolutely massive, much bigger than the robots Crystal had seen thus far. How did Megatron get back to full size so fast? With fists flying, the two faction leaders crashed into the building, ripping a good chuck out of the side. Crystal heard human screaming.

The seekers and Soundwave were now there, full-sized as well. All fighting with Autobots, all of them massive and destructive. They took no notice of the city or its people. They only cared about fighting each other. Crystal had never felt so helpless; never felt so small. She was like a bug to them, just a tiny insignificant thing that caused them no concern. They would crush her without a care if she didn't get out of there. In the distance, something even bigger stomped their way: a giant mechanical T-Rex breathing fire.

Crystal turned and ran. Her only hope of survival was to get out of the area and hope they didn't follow. As she turned to go, that same police car was right in front of her, charging her way. She saw her reflection in the windshield a split second before it hit.

* * *

 

 

Crystal awoke to a quick inhale, eyes popping open. It was dark in the hospital room, still night outside. For a split second, she wondered if her hospital stay was because of the collision. Then it all came flooding back to her. No, that crazy battle destroying the city was the dream. She was here because she had been helping a group of tiny Autobots get out of New York City and return to their home in Oregon.

Letting out a long breath of relief, she was also reminded that she was sick. A familiar pounding in her head returned and she groaned. The figure sitting next to her stirred and powered on his light blue optics.

“Are you alright?” Prowl asked in a quiet, calm voice. “Your heart was racing. Your temperature is still high.”

Crystal calmed even more, his voice always made her feel safe. “Yeah. I just had a nightmare about Decepticons.” She purposefully left out the part where the Autobots, too, made her feel like her life was in danger. She felt guilty for her subconscious dreaming that up at all.

“I do not understand dreams and nightmares, but I am sorry it caused you stress.”

She let out another long sigh and remembered how large and alien they were in her dream. While small and relatable now, this wouldn't last forever. Their world was so much bigger than hers, much larger than she could ever fathom and she couldn't be a part of it. In truth, the thought of even trying to be like some of the other human friends of the Autobots terrorized her. She trembled—from fear or sickness, she wasn't sure.

“It's fine. It was just a dream. It can't hurt anybody.”

When the Autobots were their full size once more, she would say good-bye to them. This strange encounter would come to an end and they would go their separate ways.

Prowl surprised her by sliding under the covers and scooting close. “Put your head right here.” He indicated to his chest.

Curious, she carefully pressed her ear to the chest of the small Autobot and heard a gentle thrumming. “What is that? Is that your heart?”

“No. The Cybertronian equivalent of a heart would be our energon pumps. That is our spark. It is our... soul, put in your terms.”

Crystal removed her head and then pressed it back down and listened again. “That's you? What's what you are?”

“In a way. I understand that humans can find the sound to be very comforting.”

“It is kinda nice.” Crystal yawned as she felt the fatigue and sickness hit her hard. Here eyelids were growing heavy and she didn't fight them.

“We find the sound of each other's sparks comforting as well,” Prowl then said.

“So Autobots cuddle with each other?” Crystal found that idea to be extremely cute and amusing.

“When we meet someone we wish to be close to, yes. Showing affection for a friend or loved one. The sharing of sparks can be very intimate as well.”

Crystal wondered exactly what Autobot intimacy meant to them, but she doubted Prowl wanted to go into more details and didn't have the energy to pester him about it. Maybe such a subject was better left to the imagination.

When Prowl didn't seem to mind that Crystal had curled up against him, ear to his chest, she settled in and fell into a deep, restful sleep, the spark vibrations humming pleasantly through her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thanks for reading my little fic. There is a sequel called "Ghost in the Machine" which I will start posting soon, so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> Here's the part where I ask for comments. Now that the fic is finished, please send me your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you think.
> 
> And, as always, thanks for reading!


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